FOUNDATION FOR LIVING

109357

FOUNDATION
FOR LIVING

The Story of

Charles Stewart Mott and Flint

By CHARLES H. YOUNG
and WILLIAM A. QUINN

This book is more than the biography of
a distinguished industrial and educational
leader on the American scene. It is also
the story of a city, and of the more than
fifty-year partnership between a dedicated
man and his community.

Charles Stewart Mott went to Flint,
Michigan, in 1905, where he became one
of the first suppliers of parts to the auto-
mobile industry. At the end of his long,
successful career, he had become a top
executive at General Motors, and had lit-
erally devoted himself to the city of Flint,
as Mayor and as founder of the famed
Mott Foundation.

The authors describe Mr. Mott's early
years in Flint, and the infant company that
General Motors was then. He was elected
to the Board of Directors in 1913, a posi-
tion he has held continuously ever since,
and his biography also recounts the story
of the company and of the men behind it
— William C. Durant, Charles Nash, Wal-
ter P. Chrysler, Harry Bassett, C. F. Ket-
tering, William S. Knudsen, Alfred P.
Sloan, and Harlow H. Curtice. Under their
guidance, General Motors grew in a fran-
(continued on back flap)

jacket design by ABNER GRABOFF

FOUNDATION FOR LIVING

FOUNDATION
FOR LIVING

the story of Charles Stewart Mott and Flint

by Clarence H. Young
& William A. Quinn

McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC.
New York Toronto London

To

Ruth Rowlings Mott,
the Flint Board of Education,

and

The Seven Universities of Michigan —
Partners in Progress

Foundation for Living

Copyright © 1963 by McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. All Rights Re-
served. Printed in the United States of America. This book or parts thereof
may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers,
library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 63-13153
First Edition 72516

INTRODUCTION

The memorandum I picked up from my desk concerned the
fact that the year — 1955 — was the one-hundredth anniversary
of the City of Flint As I thought of the almost incredible sweep
of forces shaping modern Flint from the little river-crossing
settlement of 1855, I was somewhat amazed to remember I
had shared exactly half of Flint's first 100 years.

I first saw Flint on September 2, 1905, the year the city
celebrated its fiftieth anniversary golden jubilee. I found this
valley of the Flint River still heavily grown with trees despite
the rich harvest of pine which had brought Flint's booming
lumber era. With the end of the pine had come the vehicle
industry from which Flint-made wagons, road carts, and bug-
gies rolled out to every corner of the country. Then, haltingly,
after the turn of the century, automobile manufacturing began.

I held the memorandum of Flint's hundredth year in my
hand, trying to visualize the factors working so mightily to
shape the city.

There are no outside windows in my office in the Mott
Foundation Building in downtown Flint, but I could lean back
in my chair, close my eyes, and see, as if through the stone
walls, the tremendous industrial establishments that mark the
points of the compass from the center of the city. Flint is
bounded on the north by Buick and Ternstedt, on the west by
Chevrolet, on the south by Fisher Body, and on the east by the
AC Sparkplug Division of General Motors Corporation. There
are other industries, of course, but those are the greatest,
employing some 70,000 people.

Not the wildest imagination in 1905 could have conceived
of such gigantic enterprises — except, perhaps, the imagination
of the man who had invited me to Flint, William Crapo
Durant, key figure in so much that has happened to Flint

The thought of Durant led me to the greatest factor of all
in the destiny of Flint Someone once said that the history of
mankind is the lengthened shadow of great men. In the history
of Flint, this concept has been demonstrated with particular
force. It has been pointed out before that Flint, once the pine
was gone, had no natural advantages of raw materials, trans-
portation, or proximity to markets. There was no reason why
Flint should have become different from other small towns in the
Middle West — except for the quality of the people who settled
here, and those who followed.

There were giants among the men of Flint in 1905, casting
their shadows across the quiet river valley and over the future
as well. The Flint we know today is a living testimonial to the
stature of those men — to their vision, their courage, their abil-
ity, their hard work, and their faith in the boundless accom-
plishment possible for those who set their hearts and minds to
a task. Then, as always, the men made the difference.

It was my privilege to know those men and work with them,
and with the successors who have caried on the great tradi-
tions they established. It has become increasingly clear to me
that the ideals, strength, ingenuity, daring, and hard work of
individuals are responsible for Flint's remarkable record of
accomplishment.

Flint's demonstration that the quality of people underlies
and overshadows all other factors in existence has had a pro-
found influence on me, and on the activities to which I have
devoted my life and resources in recent years.

When a man believes that nothing else is important, really,
except people, how can he implement his belief effectively?
That is the question which has challenged me, and to which
I have found, here in my own community, an answer that is
deeply satisfying.

It seems to me that every person, always, is in a kind of
informal partnership with his community. His own success is
dependent to a large degree on that community, and the com-
munity, after all, is the sum total of the individuals who make

VI

it up. The institutions of a community, in turn, are the means
by which those individuals express their faith, their ideals, and
their concern for fellow men.

The partnership between a man and his community is often
an unconscious relationship, but this fact does not make it any
the less real. For me, this sense of partnership has become a
growing reality over the years. In the simplest terms: Flint
has given me much that is good; I try, in return, to make
available to the people of Flint much that is good, placing
human values first.

Flint has many splendid institutions expressing, as I have
said, the faith of Flint people, their ideals, and their concern
for fellow men. My own active partnership with my community
is expressed mainly through another institution, called the
Mott Foundation. This Foundation works principally through
established community agencies, such as the board of educa-
tion, to strengthen and extend their services by utilization of
existing facilities to a degree far beyond the practices of the
past. Further, the Mott Foundation is highly flexible, and thus is
able to meet community needs not otherwise provided for,
chiefly through pilot projects in new areas of community serv-
ice.

This, then, is the answer I have found for my own need to
perpetuate the lesson Flint has taught me — that only people
are important. And since every man needs to devote as much
imagination, skill, and conscience to the wise and useful spend-
ing of money as he exercised to accumulate that money, the
Foundation answers this need for me also. The Foundation
serves as the most effective expression of the faith, ideals, and
concern for fellow men which I have acquired in my lifetime.

The objectives of the Foundation have become both deeper
and wider in the course of a quarter-century of continuous
growth and development. Our attempt here in Flint is to open
for as many people as possible the doors of opportunity for
self-advancement in health, education, recreation, active par-
ticipating citizenship, technical skill, economic knowledge, and

vn

successful adaptation to every challenge of modern living. But
only the opportunity can be provided, the rest is up to the indi-
vidual. Our experience gives evidence that the individual re-
sponds eagerly to a down-to-earth implementation of equality
of opportunity.

So broad and so deep are the objectives of the Mott Founda-
tion that they touch almost every aspect of living, increasing
the capacity for accomplishment, the appreciation of values,
and the understanding of the forces that make up the world
we live in. In this sense, it may truly be called a Foundation
for Living — with the ultimate aim of developing greater under-
standing among men. We recognize that our obligation to
fellow men does not stop at the boundaries of the community.
In an even larger sense, every man is in partnership with the
rest of the human race in the eternal conquest which we call
civilization. Just as the Foundation conducts pilot projects in
Flint for the sake of the whole community, so we consider the
whole Foundation a total pilot project for the sake of as much
of the United States and the world as may care to make a
similar approach to the problems of people. We believe — and
there is already a significant body of evidence to support our
belief — that both the principles and techniques, such as the
community-school concept, pioneered in practice by the Mott
Foundation, can be utilized with excellent effect in other com-
munities. We are happy to make available to others all the
information we can provide to assist them in similar under-
takings; this is a major objective of the Foundation.

For each of us, there is a time for taking stock — for compar-
ing our intentions with our accomplishments. The thought of
Flint's hundredth year, and my own sharing of half that period,
brought to me the impulse for such an accounting.

Even if a man feels no necessity to justify his life to others,
there is no escaping the necessity to justify it to himself. There
are many ways to approach such a reckoning. Each man's life
has its own private record of success and failure in his respon-
sibilities to himself, his family, his associates, his community,
viii

and his God. It is not always easy to set forth an honest balance
sheet when human and abstract values are involved, but one
can try.

This book, then, is such a reckoning-up for me. Chiefly, it
is the story of the reciprocal relationship ... the often uncon-
scious partnership . . . between the City of Flint and myself.
And, of more importance, it is also the record of the develop-
ment of a pattern of community service. As I have said, the
Mott Foundation may, in a large sense, be considered a Foun-
dation for Living; for me, in another sense, it is a foundation
for living — the realization of the purpose of my life. Above all,
I hope that this record may prove illuminating and useful to
others who share the same belief in the importance of people
and the same need to do something effective about that belief.

Charles Stewart Mott

IX

ONE

On Charles Stewart Mott's thirtieth birthday, June 2, 1905,
it would have seemed easy to predict the pattern of his future
life. Within another two weeks, he would be celebrating the
fifth anniversary of his marriage. He was the father of two
children, and was already firmly settled in Utica, New York,
as president and general manager of the Weston-Mott Com-
pany. The company had made the transition from bicycle
wheels to automobile wheels and axles, and was showing a
steady advance in production and sales. It would have been a
fair assumption that C. S. Mott's future would be devoted to
continuing the development of this family company in Utica.
The event that changed this prospect was a very short letter to
Mott from W. C. Durant, written just two days after Mott* s
thirtieth birthday.

BUICK MOTOR COMPANY
OFFICE OF SALES DEPARTMENT

Jackson, Michigan
June 4, 1905
Mr. C. S. Mott, Pres.,
Weston-Mott Co.,
Utica, N.Y.

Dear Sir: —

Would you entertain a proposition of removing or establish-
ing a branch factory at Flint, Michigan, provided the business
of three or four large concerns was assured for a term of years?
Flint is in the center of the automobile industry, a progressive
city, good people, with conditions for manufacturing ideal.

Yours very truly,
W. C. Durant
c/o Durant-Dort Cge. Co.
Flint, Mich.

This letter, written only six months after Durant had entered
the automobile industry with Buick, already shows him think-
ing in wide concepts. It suggests his ability to influence, if
not control, "three or four large concerns for a term of years."
Durant's characterization of his home town, Flint, as being
"in the center of the automobile industry, a progressive city,
good people, with conditions for manufacturing ideal" was to
become increasingly accurate.

The almost casual letter from the unpredictable genius of
the automobile industry stirred Mott's imagination. He had
then, as always, an instinct for change, variety, growth, and
development in his activities, for new opportunities to chal-
lenge his energy and ingenuity. Mott replied immediately.

WESTON-MOTT COMPANY
UTICA, N.Y., U.S.A.
ESTABLISHED 1884

June 6, 1905
Mr. W. C. Durant,

Durant-Dort Carriage Co.,
Flint, Mich.

Dear Sir: —

Your letter of the 4th inst. is received.

The writer expects to visit Jackson either Monday or Tues-
day of next week, and as I presume you are called there fre-
quently on business, could you not arrange to meet me there
at that time, when it would be possible to go into the matter
suggested in your letter more fully than can be done by corre-
spondence?

It has been proposed to us once or twice to consider locat-
ing in the West, especially since the automobile industry has
become so important in your state, but the proposition we
looked into did not prove sufficiently attractive to offset the
disadvantage of moving an established business to new ter-
ritory.

The idea of a branch factory does not appeal to me as there
is so much detail to our business that it is important that con-
2

stant oversight be given, and should this factory remain here
and a branch factory be established there, the time consumed
in traveling would be considerable and would cause a large
amount of physical and mental strain that would undoubtedly
cause the business to suffer. We might entertain a proposition
provided it were sufficiently attractive to remove our plant to
a new place. We own our plant, free and unencumbered here
and it would be a difficult proposition to dispose of it to ad-
vantage if it were vacated. Our plant here meets our require-
ments, although it is not a building of heavy construction. It
stands on our books at about $25,000. (building).

We are doing a very satisfactory business and it has steadily
increased, and it has grown only because we have given it
constant attention and have endeavored to increase the quality
of our goods to meet the requirements of the trade.

If you could, before the writer leaves for the West, outline
more fully what you are in a position to propose, it might
facilitate matters and then enable me to go into the project
more fully with Mr. Doolittle, who is equally interested with
me in our company. You may be sure that we shall give care-
ful consideration to any proposition you may care to make.
We cannot go into the matter hurriedly, and since looking
into the question two years ago, we put the question of re-
moval out of our minds.

Very truly yours,
Weston-Mott Co.
C. S. Mott
President

This letter is perhaps equally revealing of the man who
wrote it. Mott speaks as a practical businessman first of
all, yet between the lines there is evident the drive toward
larger fields of activity. The rejection of the "branch factory"
idea because of the difficulty of exercising "constant over-
sight" is a principle which has guided Mott consistently. He
has acted on the belief that a man should attend to his business
personally if he expects it to develop and prosper, and he has
generally concentrated his major interests where he could give

3

exactly that kind of personal attention to them. Equally typical
are both Mott's request to "outline more fully what you are in
a position to propose" and his remark, "we cannot go into the
matter hurriedly. . . ." Mott's loyalty to his associates is also
demonstrated in his careful specification that Mr. Doolittle
"is equally interested with me in our company."

Weston-Mott had furnished chain-drive rear axles and
front axles to the Buick Motor Company in Flint even before
Durant had taken command of Buick. There were Weston-
Mott axles on the sixteen Buicks made in 1903, and on the
thirty-seven that followed in 1904.

Mott visited Jackson the next week and Durant gave him a
glowing amplification of the advantages in moving the Weston-
Mott factory to Flint. Though impressed with the drive and
certainty of Durant, Mott made it nevertheless clear that no
decision could be reached until his partner, William Doolittle,
also had an opportunity to hear the whole proposal directly
from Durant. Mott invited Durant to visit Utica, look over the
Weston-Mott operations and talk with Doolittle. Durant ac-
cepted but remained vague about a definite date for his visit.
His immediate concern was with securing bevel-drive rear
axles and he asked Mott to prepare samples and cost estimates
on two models.

Back in Utica, Mott wrote Durant to reaffirm that nothing
further could be said on moving to Flint until Durant had
reached an understanding with William Doolittle. Remarking
also that there had been no further word from Durant on the
bevel-drive rear axles, Mott implied his feeling that Durant
could be quite casual in matters of detail. Durant was given to
large visions, with his swirls of projects giving rise to many vistas
of a golden future. Mott, on the other hand, was and is a
practical man, looking directly at what is ahead, planning for
it with skill and certainty, but taking one step at a time.

Having once considered the possibility of moving to Flint,
Mott persisted in following up. But Durant's attention was
apparently elsewhere. Thus the correspondence between the
4

two men, which had begun with such promise of rapid action,
seemed to have reached a dead end. But the need for axles
was a reality Durant could not escape. After a long silence he
sent Mott a wire that he and J. Dallas Dort would visit Utica
to look over Weston-Mott and talk with Mott and Doolittle.
They came on September 1, 1905.

In spite of the unpromising situation created by Duranf s
lagging correspondence, the famous magnetism of his presence
offset any doubts Mott and Doolittle might have entertained.
Durant was at his persuasive best in outlining the advantages
of moving the Weston-Mott Company to Flint. The future was
all one expanding golden horizon in his eyes, and no one was
more adept in communicating this vision to those who listened.
He was impressed with the combination of the practical and
the imaginative in the Weston-Mott operations. He saw how
methodically, yet how rapidly, the Weston-Mott people had
made change after change, developing new products to fit alter-
ing markets. He found Mott to be both a sound businessman
and a mechanical engineer of remarkable ingenuity. Mott
found Durant to be the intense, fast-moving, big-planning
genius who held open the door to a vast and challenging
future. Durant pressed for a decision and Mott and Doolittle
agreed to make an immediate trip to Flint.

The Motts and Doolittle arrived there on September 2,
1905 and spent a few days. Before they returned to Utica, the
decision to move had been made, signed, and sealed.

The Motts and William Doolittle were not too happily
impressed with the superficial appearance of Flint in 1905;
they saw it as a "hick town" in comparison with Utica. But the
people they met in Flint gave them quite another impression.
Among them were John J. Carton, for many years attorney for
the Buick Motor Company; Arthur G. Bishop, of the Genesee
County Savings Bank; and William S. Ballenger, one of the
original organizers of the Buick Motor Company. Arthur
Bishop gave the visitors from Utica a dinner party at his home,
where they met many interesting and influential men including

J

William F. Stewart of the Stewart Body Company; Francis
Rankin, publisher of Flint's Wolverine Citizen; Robert Arm-
strong, of the Armstrong Spring Company; F. A. Aldrich,
secretary-treasurer of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company;
Fenton McCreery, distinguished American diplomat, and a
number of others.

It was clear to Mott that Buick gave great promise, and
that, with the larger-than-life figure of Durant dominating the
situation, and a body of able men concerned in the enterprise,
all the constituents of success were at hand. Yet, if there was
a good deal to gain, there was also a good deal to lose. The
woods were full of new automobile companies in those days;
they were already falling by the wayside, as hundreds more
were to do until only today's handful would remain. Mott had
brought his company well into the black in five years; he
possessed security and all the assurance of a pleasant future
in Utica. But security was not enough; he saw the enlarged
potential of a Flint location, with much of the automobile
industry shaping up in Michigan. He had already done sub-
stantial business with Oldsmobile in Lansing and Cadillac in
Detroit, and now with the promise of all Buick axle business,
plus the other advantages offered, the risk was worth the try.

Mott once summed up this turning point in his life with this
statement:

Our trip to Flint . . . was an immediate decision, as was our
decision to move our plant from Utica to Flint, instead of
simply establishing a branch in Flint We felt that Michigan
contained the majority of automobile production, and was the
important place to locate our factory, and that we would do

better to operate one factory than two

Mrs. Mott and my partner were perfectly agreeable to our
moving to where there were business advantages The up-
shot of our visit was that before we left Flint the day following
Labor Day, we had signed a contract whereby we were given
a good-sized site at the corner of Hamilton and Industrial
Avenues, on which to erect a new plant, alongside of a pro-

posed Buick plant, and arrangements were made to form
the Weston-Mott Company of Michigan to take over the
business of Weston-Mott Company of Utica, capitalization
$500,000, of which Flint citizens were to subscribe $100,000.
Also, Weston-Mott Company was to receive contract from
Buick Motor Company for all of its axle requirements on a
percentage basis. In this new Weston-Mott Company, C. S.
Mott was president, John J. Carton was vice-president, and
W. G. Doolittle was secretary-treasurer.

This, then, was the decision made on that long weekend of
September 1905 which brought C. S. Mott to Flint It was
arrived at quickly, but not without a thorough review of the
circumstances that had brought Mott to the point where he
had the power to make such a move of cardinal significance.
What had been decided was to have a profound influence on
Motf s own future and on the future of Flint. Here Mott was to
build the career that led him to a vast fortune and an amazing
roster of accomplishments. And in Mott, Flint not only en-
countered the man it would elect as mayor seven years later,
but the man who would become the greatest benefactor of
the community within a half century.

TWO

Charles Stewart Mott was born on June 2, 1875, in Newark,
NJ. His twenty-six-year-old father, John Coon Mott, was
devoting himself to the family cider and vinegar business in
New York City. At the age of twenty-two, he had married
Isabella Turnbull Stewart, daughter of the proprietor of Stew-
art's Hotel, Old City Hall, Newark.

Mott has traced the ancestry of his father back nine genera-
tions to one Adam Mott who came to America from England
before 1645. Mott's mother was descended from Col. Charles
Stewart, who came to America from Ireland in 1750, settled
in New Jersey, and fought in the Continental Army during the
Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1782. Family pride in this
ancestor — who commanded a battalion of the First New Jersey
Regiment of Minute Men and later a regiment of the line, and
still later served on Washington's staff — accounts for the first
two of Charles Stewart Mott's names,

In 1880, the family moved from Newark to New York City,
where Mott had his early education. His notes indicate that
he attended five different public schools before he entered
Stevens High School at Hoboken, N.J., in 1888.

Mott likes to refer to his ancestors as "sod-busters." They
had been farmers for generations, and his father had grown up
on the family farm. "Summertimes," he recalls, "I was sent
up to Boucksville, in central New York, to spend vacations in
the country with my grandparents, and those were happy days."
In the best American rural tradition, the Mott family life was
close-knit; affections within the family were deep, solid, and
understood beyond the need for much obvious display. There
were only the two children, Charles and his sister, Edith, two
years older.

8

In one of Mott's notes, he writes: "When my parents wanted
to punish me I was kept in my room, where there was running
water to drink, and I was given bread only to eat — a bread-
and-water diet. But that was not very severe punishment to me,
for bread satisfied my hunger and I occupied my time reading
books. I think I read everything that was written by Jules
Verne, Dumas, and many other similar authors. I probably
read more books then than I ever have since."

Although the family was prospering, they kept to conserva-
tive customs. Mott notes: "Mother used to make my clothes
from material from Father's suits. Short pants and so tight that
the boys used to ask if I was poured into them. Mother sewed
them on a 'chain-stitch' sewing machine. I used to skate a lot
— went 'to school in New York on roller skates. One day a
little over-exertion broke a stitch, and presto — my pants were
in two pieces, one on each leg — and I walked home hanging
one skate in front of me and one in the rear."

The interest in mechanics, which was to lead Mott into
mechanical engineering, emerged in his early years. He re-
members making his own toys as a child, and the most vivid
of his boyhood memories has to do with experimenting with
photography when he was thirteen years old. He writes in his
notebook:

My first camera was a plain black box with a piece of glass
in front; it was almost a lens, and in front of the lens a pinhole.
There was no plate-holder. Instead, the camera was taken into
a dark room and a 3%- by 4 ^4-inch plate inserted, and closed
up. All pictures were 'time exposures'; on a bright day it took
five seconds, on dark days a minute. We had a Camera Club —
developed our own plates and made our own prints. We even
made our own lantern slides, and believe it or not, I still have
a few which I made at that time, and they are as good as I
could get made now.

Motf s interest in mechanics, coupled with a happy apti-
tude for manual training and shopwork, took the form
of a specific ambition to which Mott held firmly. He planned

9

to study mechanical engineering and hoped to become first a
draftsman and then an engineer in a bridge-building company.
Mott's devotion to this definite ambition ran counter to his
father's equally definite hope to bring his son into the family
business. This difference was bridged by compromise: The son
did work in the family business, and the father did agree that
the son should study mechanical engineering.

In 1888 the family moved to East Orange, NJ. and Mott
entered Stevens High School in Hoboken. He was graduated
in 1892 and continued his education at Stevens Institute of
Technology in mechanical engineering.

Restless energy, the need for action, was his characteristic
trait even then, and this restlessness of spirit found a satisfying
outlet after his second year at Stevens. That summer, Mott
joined the New York State Naval Militia, with headquarters
on the USS New Hampshire, berthed at the foot of East 28th
Street. He had a tour of duty as seaman in the old cruiser, USS
San Francisco. Thus, at nineteen, Mott encountered two of the
major interests of his life: military service and the sea.

The same year brought another adventure. When he re-
turned from the naval militia cruise, his father — then head of
an amalgamation of cider and vinegar making companies, the
Genesee Fruit Company — suggested that his son go to Den-
mark and study the science of pure yeast culture at a school
conducted by a Dr. Jorgensen in Copenhagen. Young Mott
immediately obtained a certificate from Stevens Institute per-
mitting him to re-enter the college a year later without re-
examination and prepared for the trip to Europe. It is apparent
that the elder Mott was deeply anxious for his son to enter the
family business, and that the trip abroad was probably as much
designed to accomplish this end as to make available new
techniques in cider and vinegar making.

On August 8, 1894, Mott boarded the 10,000-ton White
Star liner Majestic, bound for Queenstown, Ireland. He took
along only a small amount of baggage and a Palmer light-
weight bicycle. The fare was $50. On the voyage, Mott ar-
ranged for membership in a large English bicycle group,
10

Cyclist Touring Club, which provided its members with creden-
tials, road maps, and complete information on hotels, restau-
rants, and lodging houses. Thus equipped, Mott set out on a
bicycle trip that included Cork, the west coast of Ireland, and
the lakes of Killarney. From Kfllarney, he went by train to
Dublin and took a night boat to Liverpool, then rode the
bicycle to Chester.

The trip was an important experience for Mott. He was on
his own, plunged into the Old World at an age when his whole
life could be influenced deeply. He enjoyed every aspect of the
adventure, and still remembers the warm hospitality extended
to him in both Ireland and England.

From Chester, Mott pedaled on to Birmingham, which
fascinated him as an industrial city, then to Coventry, Strat-
ford-on-Avon, and Bristol. Bristol's famous suspension bridge,
and the gates to lock high-tide water in the harbor, held the
interest of the mechanical engineering student who hoped
himself to become a builder of bridges. He rode on to Totnes,
and there visited the Symons family, with whom his father had
done business. He was graciously received by the family, and
was impressed by their courtesies and by their fine old house.
Continuing his journey, Mott visited the Isle of Wight, and
then went on to London.

Next came a boat trip to Rotterdam, then more bicycling
to Delft, where he visited a plant that made alcohol from root
vegetables and used what was left of the vegetables as feed for
cattle. He visited Amsterdam, Haarlem, Scheveningen, Berlin,
and Kiel — then reached his destination, Copenhagen, and Dr.
Jorgensen's laboratory.

Mott found lodgings at a Fru Maar's Pensionat, on the
fourth floor of a large apartment building, and began his
studies of yeast culture at the laboratory. His notes describe
the nature of those studies:

I spent almost five months there, learning the techniques of
making yeast cultures, and separating and growing pure vari-
eties from single cells. I learned how famous breweries used
yeast which was originally grown from a single cell. After de-
ll

termining that such a yeast produced exactly the quality of
beer desired, the yeast was propagated and kept pure to that
variety thereafter. I worked on the separation and pure cul-
ture of yeast from wines and ciders. I learned that a yeast cul-
ture propagated from grapes grown in one particular section
of France, for example, could be taken to a distant location,
and that when this culture was used in fermenting grapes in the
new area, the wine produced would have many of the char-
acteristics of the wine made in the section from which the
original yeast culture had been derived.

Mott found the arrangement of daily meals in Denmark
strange. "After rising, we had coffee and zwieback, and then
went to work, returning somewhat before noon for breakfast,
and then having another meal around four or five o'clock, and
a final meal about nine o'clock."

Perhaps the most illuminating aspect of his experience in
Denmark was the new kind of social life in which he found
himself. He remembers the Copenhagen Opera with warmth
and pleasure, and notes that he "even went to a dancing school
run by one of the dance teachers of the Opera House . . . meet-
ing and dancing with people from various places, very few of
whom spoke my language "

From Copenhagen, Mott went to Munich for further study
of the chemistry of fermentation. In the laboratory of Dr.
Lintner, in Munich, Mott learned to make the analyses funda-
mental to fermentation processes, including study of the kinds
of sugar and determination of sugar content. He encountered
a new breakfast pattern: Bratwurst und Semmel — which the
porter brought to the laboratory. Mott continued his new-
found interest in the opera at Munich; he remembers that he
almost always occupied standing room instead of a seat. Three
months completed Mott's special studies in Munich. He visited
Paris on the way back to London to take ship for home.

In April, 1895, Mott rejoined the family in New York. That
summer, he carried on some experiments utilizing the new
scientific techniques he had learned in Europe. With only one
12

apple crop a year, and little research work already done in this
field compared with the long tradition of similar study with
regard to grapes in Europe, he realized it would take far too
many crops — and years — for him to arrive at any practical
results. Also, he had never lost any of his love for mechanical
engineering. With his father's agreement, he re-entered Stevens
Institute in September, 1895, for the junior year of his me-
chanical-engineering course.

The father's persistent wish to interest the son in some
aspect of the family business became evident in another form.
The elder Mott had acquired a carbonating company which
was engaged both in building beverage-carbonating machinery
and in importing carbonic gas from Germany. In 1896, this
company was reorganized and named the C. S. Mott Com-
pany. The young man whose name the firm bore was very
active in the affairs of the company during his last two years
in college — active in every aspect, from management and
manufacture to the hard work of installing equipment.

Many years later, Mott's good friend, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.,
in his autobiography, Adventures of a White Collar Man, was
to write of Mott:

But about the time I was starting in at Hyatt as a draftsman,
this tall, blue-eyed young fellow, a mechanical engineer, had
been working in overalls. He and his father had a small busi-
ness, manufacturing soda-water machines. Charley Mott, be-
tween classes at Stevens Institute, installed the machines in
drug-stores and confectionery shops. These appliances were
hard to sell, but the Motts were pretty ingenious about it. They
would permit a store owner to pay installments amounting
each month to no more than he had previously been paying
for tanks of carbonated water.

What Sloan calls a "pretty ingenious" way of selling the
carbonators was a financing plan which Mott recalls in these
words: "Payments were in the form of notes — one of the first,
if not actually the first, form of installment selling. As there
was some delay in our bank's notifying us of the payment of

13

notes sent for collection, we attached a printed postal card to
each note, and when customer paid said note the collecting
bank would sign and mail the postal to us and we would
deposit the postal with our bank and get credit for same."

Mott received his degree as a mechanical engineer from
Stevens in June, 1897, and occupied himself during the
next year with developing the carbonating company. He was
a personable young man, not only tall and blue-eyed, but dis-
tinctly handsome and of commanding appearance. Also, he
had no objection to wearing overalls and working with his
hands. The ingenuity Sloan noted has characterized Mott
always. Being a mechanical engineer has meant more to
Mott than merely having a degree. Not only was much of his
early success based on his dogged ability to apply engineering
principles to any new product problem, but the habit of mind
he developed as an engineer — the same practical, methodical,
logical progression from facts to decisions — has served him
consistently in widely varied fields of application.

The Buffalo World's Fair in 1901 was to bring a striking
instance of Mott's versatility as an engineer-manufacturer. The
fair brought a request for forty carbonating machines which
were to be "electrically operated and completely automatic.*'
There had been no such machines — but Mott built them and
delivered them on schedule.

Three years before that, Mott joined the U.S. Navy. This was
on April 26, 1898, the day after the United States declared
war on Spain. Mott is proud to remember that his organization
was reported to be the first National Guard unit to join. They
were assigned to the USS Yankee, a cruiser hastily converted
from the Morgan Line's El Norte. Mott, a gunner's mate first
class, was responsible for the four forward guns on the main
deck; the ship was armed with a total of ten 5-inch guns, using
fixed ammunition. The Yankee put out to sea from Brooklyn
Navy Yard, and on May 12, took up the somewhat dreary
duty of patrolling between Block Island and Cape Henlopen
for a period of two weeks. Detached from patrol duty, the
14

Yankee was sent to join the Cuban blockade on May 29, 1898.
Young Mott was a good correspondent, and he wrote fre-
quent letters to his parents, grandmother, and sister. One of
these letters covers the famous incident in which Hobson
scuttled the collier, Merrimac, in the channel at Santiago, and
the next describes the Yankee's part in its first real action, the
bombardment of Santiago on June 6, 1898, and subsequent
activities.

BaWa de Guantanamo
Tuesday, June 7, about noon
Dear Father:

I presume the letter I wrote on Sunday will have reached
you safely. On Sunday there was "nothing doing" and we got
as much rest as possible. At night the lookouts were doubled.
When day began to break about 4 A.M., Monday, we were
called to quarters and we came most of us with but a pair of
trousers on. We cleared for action and had a hurried bite
and cup of coffee. Then the fleet, with the New York (flag-
ship) at the head and the Yankee second, went into line of
battle, and after an hour or so the ball began.

I think that anyone near the fort must have thought that
hell was let loose. During the bombardment we threw about
200 five-inch shells and 300 six-pounders into the fortifica-
tions, and things were pretty well torn up. Of course, the other
ships all did their share.

Our mark was the battery of six guns on the eastern side of
the channel entering into the harbor. It was located on a very
high rocky cliff, but I guess we played havoc pretty well with
it. Below this battery there were other guns masked, but they
did not shoot long. On the western side there was a good deal
of firing, but I think that the battleships which shot at long
range took good care of them and probably blew up their mag-
azine, for there was a big fire and explosion. We opened fire
at about 4000 yards and went in to 2000; were probably nearer
all the time than any other vessel. Our skipper believes in be-
ing right in it. I was quite busy and the smoke was very dense,
but I could see that no one did better shooting than the
Yankee.

15

Thursday, June 9, 7 A.M., at Sea

A little later in the day the Dolphin, which was near shore
well east of the fort, discovered a trainload of Spanish soldiers
creeping along the shore; they immediately let fly with six-
pounders, and the train backed into a cut, from which they
could neither advance nor retreat without being seen. Then a
lot of shells were dropped near them. It is said that Garcia
was aboard the New York yesterday, and he reported that
great damage was done to the forts, in which 120 Spanish
were killed; said that the Dolphin killed 1 12 on the train. Also
that one of the large shells passed over the fort and landed on
tihte forecastle of the Vizcaya, destroying one of her largest
guns and killing 13 men.

At 12 o'clock that night we (Yankee) left for Guantanamo,
about 40 miles east of Santiago; there we destroyed a block-
house on a bluff, and threw a lot of shells into their fort, about
7000 yards up the bay. In front of the fort was a gunboat and
a torpedo boat; it is believed that we hit the former. They
threw some shells at us, but with no result.

The St. Louis, which was with us, remained outside and
cut some cables.

On Tuesday night we went back to Santiago, where we re-
mained for 24 hours. Last night we left for St. Nicholas Mole,
Hayti. This morning we were ousted at 4 o'clock, when we
sighted what proved to be a British tramp steamer.

St. Nicholas Mole, June 9 — 3 P.M.
No sooner was breakfast over than we had quarters, and
then the "gunners' gang" had the lovely job of putting all the
empty cartridge cases and boxes below. There were all of
those from the two bombardments. I think it was the warmest
work I ever did. The temperature on the deck is very high,
but below it was terrific, and the air was not sweet. The nine
of us had nothing on but shoes and stockings, and they were
soaked through; it took us two hours to do the work. When
I came on deck I nearly had a chill — it was so much cooler;
had a brine-bucket salt-water bath afterwards.

Bumboatmen have been alongside selling oranges, limes,
and bananas at N.Y. fancy prices; sour was no name for them.
16

We got here about noon and our boats are still ashore;
don't know how long we shall stay here. It seems to me quite
likely that we shall go to some place like Dry Tortugas, or Key
West, to get troops; I don't see how we can ever accomplish
much at Santiago or any other place in Cuba without them.
My idea is bombardment, to be followed up by the landing
of troops.

We have been fortunate in moving around; have had various
experiences and seen quite a number of places for the length of
time we have been in the service: Block Island, Delaware, and
patrol service, then these three forts south here and taking a
very prominent part in the Santiago bombardment and doing
the Guantanamo alone. Have been with what is probably the
largest American fleet, and had the excitement of blockading
and being shot at and "torpedoed at."

Santiago, June 10

We left Hayti last night at about 8; at nearly midnight we
were hustled out to quarters and found several lights in view;
two of the ships had search lights; for the first time we did
not chase them, but put on extra steam and came here flying.
This morning, some hours after our arrival, a number of ships
came in; they look to be transports and probably have many
men aboard. I imagine that an attack will be made on the fort
tomorrow.

The weather continues fine and hot. Suppose you are hav-
ing it a little warm in the city.

Hope that this will reach you before the war is over. Love
to mother, grandma, Edith and yourself and all.

Stewart

A hint of the heroic atmosphere which prevailed in this
war is evident in Mott's letters. The former militiamen were
careful to say from time to time that they knew they were not
on a picnic — yet something of delighted excitement and boyish
adventure is still apparent in both their actions and their re-
ports. Bits from some of Mott's letters to members of his family
show the enthusiasm, the pride of accomplishment, and the
zest for living which he brought to this adventure in warfare:

17

Things seem to run much smoother now; mess, work, and
everything, I think that just a little more discipline will make
everything perfect. Give us about another month. Even now
we get to our guns and man them in a way that pleases the
Captain. In the daytime now we always wear clean whites,
and no dirt goes. We have to scrub and wash clothes every
other morning. In the evening we wear blues, which is regula-
tion. Such beautiful skies and blue water I never saw before,
it is simply great. Expect to see a great deal that is interesting
and beautiful.

The Yankee had a part in nine engagements, and was at
Guantanamo August 14, 1898, when signals were flashed from
the flagship, "Peace protocol signed." The Yankee crew re-
ceived a rousing reception when mustered out in New York;
they were reviewed by President McKinley and Mayor Van
Wyck. Thirty years later, when the members of the Yankee's
crew published a book, The USS Yankee on the Cuban Block-
ade, the former Lieut John Hubbard, executive officer of the
Yankee, was a rear admiral, and was included with the com-
manding officer, Rear Admiral Willard H. Brownson, and
Capt. William Butler Duncan, Naval Militia of New York, in
the affectionate and respectful dedication of the volume. Hub-
bard's brilliant contribution to the volume makes clear the
factors which had created some bitterness and friction aboard
the Yankee on its wartime cruise — the gay, casual, informal,
amateur approach of the well-educated young militiamen
conflicting with the "Old Navy" regimen of discipline, smart-
ness, and speed in carrying out orders.

It is significant that none of Mott's letters reflects any bitter-
ness toward the officers; he apparently had much more realiza-
tion than many of his fellow crew members of the necessity of
discipline, smartness, and efficiency. This wartime experience
taught him a great deal about men under stress; it gave him
pride in his own accomplishment, as he demonstrated re-
peatedly his ability to hold his own as a man among men under
difficult and strenuous conditions. He had been very much of
18

an individualist; he remained an individualist. However, he
also learned to work, as an individual, in effective cooperation
with many other men for a common end. He learned to respect
discipline as a major means to cooperative accomplishment
in an organization.

After his discharge, Mott continued to serve as chief gun-
ner's mate in the New York Naval Militia. He also resumed
his activities with the carbonating company which bore his
name, and worked with his father in the management of the
Genesee Fruit Company and in the other interests the family
had acquired, which included acting with his father as sales
representatives for the Weston-Mott Company, manufacturers
of wire wheels.

On Mott's twenty-fourth birthday, June 2, 1899, his father,
forty-nine years old and at the height of a successful career,
died suddenly. Thus Charles Stewart Mott began his twenty-
fifth year with a burden of sorrow and responsibility. By
January, 1900, one of his uncles had taken over much of the
management of the Genesee Fruit Company, and it was sug-
gested that Mott go to Utica, New York, as secretary and
superintendent of the Weston-Mott Company.

In 1896, while Mott had still been at Stevens Institute, his
father and uncle had bought L A. Weston and Company,
Jamesville, N.Y., manufacturers of bicycle hubs and wheels
since 1884. The company had been reorganized as the Weston-
Mott Company, with the uncle, Frederick G. Mott, as presi-
dent and manager, and with C. S. Mott as a director. In 1898,
the Weston-Mott Company had been moved into a new factory
in Utica. At about the same time, the demand for bicycle
wheels had dwindled. The Weston-Mott Company had struck
out in several directions at once: drop-forged axles and wire
wheels with cushion rubber tires for a new type of light car-
riage; wire wheels for push carts, implements, and wheel
chairs — even wheels for jinrikshas — and, last, wire wheels for
automobiles. Acting as New York sales representatives for the
Weston-Mott Company, C. S. Mott and his father had, in

19

1898, sold wire wheels to such early automobile makers as
Canda Quadricycle Company, Grout Automobile Company,
and the Autocar Company.

To the young man who had been bent since boyhood on
mechanical engineering, the affairs of the Weston-Mott Com-
pany held deeper interest than the business of the Genesee
Fruit Company. It is likely that young Mott's concern with
mechanical engineering had been a factor in his father's deci-
sion to buy into the Weston-Mott Company in the first place.
For the first six months of 1900, Mott divided his time be-
tween Utica and New York City, acting as superintendent of
Weston-Mott, and carrying on the activities of the C. S. Mott
Company in manufacturing carbonators.

Mott had another reason for spending most of his week-
ends in New York City; he was engaged to Miss Ethel Culbert
Harding, whose mother had been a girlhood friend of his
mother. Miss Harding's father, Herbert Brunswick Harding,
was manager of a medicine company, "Humphrey's Homeo-
pathic Medicines," which was reputed to have an advertise-
ment once a week in every newspaper in the United States.
Charles Stewart Mott and Ethel Culbert Harding were
married at All Angels Church in New York City on June 14,
1900. After a wedding trip to New Brunswick, Canada, where
(he Harding family had a long and distinguished history, the
Motts settled in Utica. They visited New York City from time
to time, and often attended the opera. Mott continued to
manage his carbonating company, and later moved it to Utica,
where he kept it operating for some years until he became too
busy to attend to it. Eventually the Duffy Company bought
the original Mott cider and vinegar company, although to this
day the name Mott is retained on cider and other products
sold by that firm-
Gradually Mott took over purchasing and engineering in
the Weston-Mott Company, as well as acting as its secretary
and superintendent. Frederick G. Mott, president of the com-
pany, was in the process of withdrawing from active manage-
20

ment. In addition to bringing his nephew from New York, he
interested a Utica man, William G. Doolittle, in joining the
company as part owner and treasurer. The Weston-Mott Com-
pany struggled to adapt to the changing developments in
vehicle manufacturing. In the year from January 1, 1900, to
January 1, 1901, the company had sales of $149,891, but
showed a loss of $1,480 and a depletion of operating surplus
to $10,303.

The fight for business involved rapid change of products
to meet shifting demands. It was apparent that the future of
the Weston-Mott Company lay with the rising automobile
industry. Mott's notes of those years include the following:

In 1900, R. E. Olds decided to put on the market the new
curved dash runabout he had designed. We got his order for
500 sets of wire wheels, and that order was duplicated a num-
ber of times during the following few years until we had fur-
nished about 3,000 sets, which was enormous business for that
time. We also made wire wheels for many automobile man-
ufacturers, including my much respected friend J. W. Packard
of Warren, Ohio — founder of the Packard Motor Company. It
was J. W., who, when demand changed from wire to wood
wheels, told me that he regretted it, and that he only hoped
that the wood wheels would stand up as well as our wire
wheels. And when that change occurred, cars were quoted
with wire wheels as standard and wood wheels $100 extra.
Years later, after wood wheels had become standard, de-
mountable wire wheels were offered at $100 per set extra.

But back to 1902: We were receiving large quantity orders
for wire wheels from R. E. Olds. He hung on to the use of
wire wheels longer than anyone else. We were running night
and day. Then, during 1902, he cancelled all orders and shut
us down. The bottom dropped out of the wire wheel business,
and the management of Weston-Mott Company went to other
activities, and I was left with responsibility of a factory and
payroll, and very little business or income.

It was up to me to do something, and I went out on the
road to meet for the first time the automobile manufacturers,

21

and to try to sell them artillery wood wheels with which we had
neither experience nor production.

Sales were impossible; they wanted to buy front and rear
chain drive axles with their wheels. Previously they had built
their own tubular frames of different construction from what
they now wanted. In fact, there was only one other source pro-
ducing something of the type of what was desired.

So, we had to design axles of our own — make drawings and
blueprints of what we had never produced, and solicit business
for a line of goods with which we had no experience. But before
I went home, I had secured orders for a volume of business
greater than we had ever done in one year, and still we had
never built an axle.

Those were not the days of the 40-hour week. Our factory
started at 7 A.M., and ran until 6 P.M. — with one hour out
for lunch — 10 hours a day, 60 hours a week. I used to get to
the factory at 6 A.M., taking my lunch with me, and work un-
til 7 P.M., trying to construct axles which would do the job. It
was several months before that was accomplished.

What now seems very simple was very difficult because no
one had ever done it before. Suitable material, knowledge of
design, and experience — were mighty scarce. At last we pro-
duced something. Today, I should not be very proud of the
result, but at least it was as good as anything anybody else
had. It showed wear with use, of course, but it stood up well,
and did not break down, as was the case with the product of
others. We used ball bearings in the front, and Hyatt Roller
Bearings in the rear. Differentials were purchased from the
Brown-Lipe Company.

The Cadillac Company started in 1902, and contracted
with the American Ball Bearing Company, of Cleveland, for
3,000 sets — but these axles did not stand up, and the Cadillac
Company turned to us for supply. During 1903, we furnished
them with 1,500 sets of axles. The Hyatt Roller Bearings were
ran directly on shafts and the interior of tubes. They did not
break — and that fact enabled the Cadillac Company to produce
and sell cars. Later, shafting material was changed. Still later,
Hyatt Roller Bearings were ground, and run on hardened
sleeves on the shafts, and hardened sleeves within the tubes.

22

In those early years, Mott and Doolittle each received $100
a month as salary. They contracted with two men to true-up
wire wheels, and those men, on piecework, often earned more
than the superintendent and treasurer. A foreman once left
without notice; so Mott put on overalls and acted as foreman
of the rim department for some time, along with his other
responsibilities. He was not satisfied with the rim machinery
and arranged to have it changed so that the rollers could be
opened up and rims could be replaced in the machine for
further operations after welding.

Life was not all work and business; Mott and his wife en-
joyed the social life of Utica and their regular visits to New
York City. Their first daughter, Aimee, was born April 15,
1902.

In September, 1901, Mott bought his first automobile, a
Remington. He still has the original invoice on the letterhead
of the Remington Automobile and Motor Company of Utica:

REMINGTON AUTOMOBILE AND MOTOR Co.

Utica, N.Y.
Sept 10 '01
Remington Automobile & Motor Company,

Sold to Mr. C. S. Mott
Weston Mott Co.
Utica, N.Y.

Terms — NET

One Remington motor complete with dynamo,

batteries, carburretter, muffler, etc $175.00

One Style "C" body complete 75.00

One water and gasoline tank 9.50

Tools, pump, oil-can, bell 3.25

One pair "Baby Square" lamps, No charge

One transmission gear, special price 50.00

One set foot levers, rods, etc. complete 6.50

One radiator complete with attachments 10.00

Ironing body for motor and to gear 10.00

23

Labor on complete job, at cost 25.00

(Other parts furnished by C. S. Mott)

$364.25

PAID

Sept. 26, 1901

Remington Automobile & Motor Co.
L. Malcolm Graham Treas.

Mott drove his Remington in a "Horseless Carriage Run" in
1902. He was a charter member and first president of the
Automobile Club of Utica, and he was one of the founders of
the American Automobile Association in Chicago. On Sep-
tember 4, 1902, Mott traded in his first Remington, being
credited not only with the full amount of the original purchase
price, but also receiving an additional allowance of $135 for
"running gear, steering levers, wheels, tires, and compensating
gear" which he had furnished for that first car. The net differ-
ence he paid for his new "special 1903 Remington" on Sep-
tember 4, 1902, was $140.75.

Mott worked furiously. Now, at last, he had full scope for
his engineering ability. His uncle, Frederick G. Mott, became
interested in oil lands in the West, and offered his Weston-
Mott stock for sale. Mott and William G. Doolittle purchased
this stock and other outstanding stock in the Weston-Mott
Company in 1903. They were equal partners in the enterprise,
with Mott being president.

In 1901, the company's sales had risen to $195,076, with
a profit of $11,303, all of which was added to the operating
surplus. From January to September, 1902, Weston-Mott
sales were $159,547, with a total profit of $19,004. A 3 per
cent dividend amounting to $1,500 was declared, and the
operating surplus was increased to $40,610. In 1903, sales
were well over $200,000.

The partnership between Mott and Doolittle was a pleasant
and effective relationship, with Doolittle attending to the
financial problems of the company and Mott handling the other
24

major aspects of the business. Mott and Doolittle drew up a
contract by which the life of each was insured in favor of the
other, and by which, in the event of the death of either partner,
the other might purchase the deceased partner's stock at a
set figure if he wished — or, even if he did not wish to do so,
the surviving partner might be required by the deceased part-
ner's heirs to purchase the stock, but at a lower figure.

The business flourished, adapting rapidly to the many
changes required by the developing automobile industry. The
size of the factory at Utica was doubled, and doubled again,
and the number of employees increased accordingly. From
August 15, 1903, to August 1, 1905, just before that first
visit Mott and Doolittle paid to Flint, the company's earnings
were $601,572, and the operating surplus was increased to
$191,073.

25

THREE

The September, 1905, visit of Mott and Doolittle to Flint
came just after the city, in its golden jubilee, had taken a long
look at its own story. The celebration was in honor of Flint's
fiftieth anniversary as an incorporated city.

In 1855, there had been about 2,000 people in Flint when
the community became a city. Lumbering was already the
chief industry, and it was to dominate the scene for a quarter-
century and to develop its great men. Perhaps the most impres-
sive of those great men was Henry H. Crapo. He contributed
mightily to Flint's lumber boom and at one time had as many
as five lumber mills in operation simultaneously. He was also
an ardent agriculturist and, inaugurated as governor of Michi-
gan in 1865, a distinguished public servant. The Flint and
Holly Railroad, built by Governor Crapo and his friends, was
an essential step in Flint's progress. Lumber from Flint went
to every corner of the world, and the city enjoyed rising pros-
perity until the pine had been harvested.

With the end of the pine, the people of Flint had to look
for other types of employment. Their energy, ingenuity, and
enterprise were equal to the problem. A variety of industries
developed, mostly concerned with aspects of woodworking.
Among these, the most important was wagon-and-carriage
making. W. A. Paterson had opened a carriage and repair
shop in Flint in 1869.

In 1886, an apparently minor event took place which was
to have an immeasurable effect on the future of Flint. William
Crapo Durant, grandson of Gov. H. H. Crapo, learned that
for $2,000 he could buy the Coldwater Road Cart Company.
He entered into a business partnership with a friend, J. Dallas
Dort, and they bought the road cart business. This inconspic-

26

uous fact provided the foundation which was to make Flint
first "The Vehicle City," celebrated for its wagons and car-
riages, and later, "Auto-maker to the World."

The Durant-Dort Carriage Company, the W. A. Paterson
Company, and the Flint Wagon Works, were notably success-
ful enterprises and attracted many skilled craftsmen to Flint.
By 1905, Flint's population was estimated at 16,000.

In 1903, the pioneer qualities of enterprise and ingenuity
which have always characterized Flint had led J. H. Whiting,
of the Flint Wagon Works, to venture into the automobile
business by buying the Buick Motor Company from the
Briscoe brothers, and bringing inventor David D. Buick and
his one Buick car to Flint. It seemed perhaps logical that a
wagon-and-carriage maker should simply place engines in his
carriages and thus make the transition to the automobile age.
It proved, of course, much less simple than that, and in the
course of time J. H. Whiting called on another carriage maker
to carry on the faltering development of the Buick Company.

That man was W. C. Durant, who had already made a
fortune and a national reputation for success with his Durant-
Dort Blue Ribbon carriages and road carts. Durant hesitated,
investigated, then made up his mind. He poured all of his vision,
energy, organization, and financial genius into the Buick Motor
Company. It was typical of his foresight that one of the first
major acts in his development of Buick, shortly after he had as-
sumed responsibility for the management of the company, was
to invite the Weston-Mott Company to move to Flint so that
there would be an unfailing supply of axles for Buicks.

In response, Mott faced away from the East he knew so well
and ventured his whole future in Flint with complete con-
fidence. His foresight was never more accurate than at that
moment. When Mott and Doolittle returned to Utica they lost
no time in developing their plans for the move to Flint. On
September 16, 1905, a notice was sent to all Weston-Mott
employees explaining the several reasons for moving the plant
to Flint, and expressing the "earnest desire that the men who

27

are now in our employ shall accompany us." Four days later,
an announcement of the move was sent to Weston-Mott cus-
tomers, assuring them that the "removal can be made with-
out interfering with this season's business," and that "when we
are in our new home we can promise, not only continued satis-
faction from a mechanical point of view, but also first class
deliveries."

The business continued in Utica while construction was
started in Flint. As building advanced, machinery was shipped
from Utica, although manufacturing operations were main-
tained there until the Flint plant opened. Meanwhile, the Motts
continued their pleasant life in Utica. Their oldest daughter,
Aimee, had been born in 1902; their second child, Elsa Bea-
trice, had come along in 1904, and their third child, Charles
Stewart Harding, was born in 1906.

The Weston-Mott Company had to decline some business
during 1906 because of the difficulties of keeping up produc-
tion while transferring operations. Many other problems were
involved in the transition from Utica to Flint. One of them
was finding housing for the 100-odd Utica employees who
planned to move to Flint with the company. Weston-Mott was
at that time employing about 240 men in Utica and was ex-
pecting to be able to give employment to 350 men in Flint.
A local committee was formed to compile lists of available
houses.

In June, 1906, the Weston-Mott Company of Utica, New
York, became the Weston-Mott Company of Flint, Michigan.
A board of directors was elected: William G. Doolittle,
Charles S. Mott, and Frederick H. Hazard of Utica, New York;
Arthur G. Bishop and John J. Carton of Flint. The directors
elected as officers: C. S. Mott, president; J. J. Carton, vice-
president; A. G. Bishop, secretary; W. G. Doolittle, treasurer.
Capitalization was $500,000.

On August 8, 1906, the power was turned on for the first
time in the Weston-Mott factory of Flint, with twenty men al-
ready employed and a small proportion of the machinery ready

28

to run. The formal opening of the new plant was postponed
until September. In addition to the machinery shipped from
Utica, new machines had been ordered and it was expected to
run the new plant with a total of 400 machines. The factory
was praised as one of the finest and most modern, providing
ample light and ventilation for workmen.

By early August that year, a number of the company's Utica
employees had moved to Flint. Though many stayed behind,
most key men chose to move with the company; of these,
several were to play important parts in the future of both Flint
and the automobile industry. One of them was Harry H. Bas-
sett, who had been with the Remington Arms Company for
fourteen years when Mott hired him. He was effective and
adaptive and soon became assistant manager. He was appointed
factory manager on March 25, 1907, when Hubert Dalton,
his predecessor, resigned.

During this period, Buick, spurred by the driving genius
of Durant, was taking tremendous strides. In 1 905 Buick made
more than 600 cars, and in 1906 about twice that many and
had orders for almost 900 more. Buick output was increased
by 50 per cent in 1907, not withstanding the panic in the
country. Durant looked forward to the time when he would
be making 50,000 cars a year. The carriage industry was still
very much alive. In fact, it was on September 29, 1905, the
same month that Mott and Doolitfle had made their decision
to move to Flint, that the Durant-Dort Carriage Company
received the largest single order in its history. Through Du-
rant's connection with the Durant-Dort Carriage Company,
he was able to draw upon both the financial resources and the
other facilities of the carriage company to assist the expanding
Buick organization. In the panic of 1907, when many automo-
bile companies were falling by the wayside, Durant conceived
the idea of showing Buick automobiles in Durant-Dort Car-
riage display rooms throughout the country, which is said to
have been the beginning of the auto showroom in America.

The new Weston-Mott plant, located at the corner of

29

Hamilton and Industrial Avenues beside the new Buick plant,
covered 60,000 square feet but soon became inadequate. Buick
and Flint were leaping ahead, and since Weston-Mott produc-
tion was primarily tied to Buick production, the company had
to match the expansion of Buick at every step. In February,
1907, Buick made news by consigning 90 Buicks — the regular
2-cylinder, model F — to the Pense Auto Company of Min-
neapolis, all shipped on one special 30-car train.

Almost every week saw some new report of Buick plans for
enlargement of production facilities, with orders exceeding
capacity. More than 4,000 men and women were employed in
the more than 80 "manufactories" in Flint In December,
1907, the W. F. Stewart Body Company found it necessary to
schedule evening overtime to meet the demand for buggy and
automobile bodies. But these were not the only vehicles being
built in Flint The W. A. Paterson Company reported having
built and sold nearly 3,000 sleighs in the current season end-
ing the day before Christmas.

With all these signs of progress and expansion in Flint, the
year 1907 was difficult in many ways. Among the voluminous
notes Mott has kept, there is one which states:

Back about March, 1907, there was a "Bank Freeze-up*1
of funds, and there was cash available only for minimum
payroll. All automobile manufacturers except W. C. Durant
quit production, but not the visionary W. C., who kept on
full-steam-ahead, and as cars could not be sold because no
one had money to pay for them, Durant filled all available
warehouses with Buick cars, and when in the course of months
the money market "unfroze" Durant had the finished cars
to sell — and how he sold them and made a lot of money with
which he enlarged Buick to make more cars, was really some-
thing— and gives you an idea of the kind of man this Billy

Durant was All of our customers except Buick held

up their orders and we could make no collections. I can't
remember how we scraped together enough money to meet
payrolls. I visited all of our customers and prevailed upon
them to settle their accounts with us, with bunches of notes
30

of $1,000 or so each, and then I undertook to settle my ac-
counts payable with these notes endorsed. Many came back
to me with the statement that they had to have the money.
I had to again send them the notes with invitation to come
to Flint and help us get cash on percentage basis. The notes
were accepted and, I presume, passed on to our creditors'
creditors, and we discovered a new elastic currency. When,
later in the year, the panic passed, and cash was available, these
notes were paid off while other creditors were getting notes.
And Durant and Buick made a killing with the large stock
of cars they had accumulated while other manufacturers
were shut down.

Within a year after Mott moved to Flint, his partner, W. G.
Doolittle, died. This threw the entire responsibility for the
financial aspects of the business on Mott, in addition to produc-
tion and sales. According to the contract between the two men,
Mott exercised the right to purchase the deceased partner's
stock at the stipulated figure. This made him sole owner of
the Weston-Mott Company.

Buick expansion continued, both in production and in the
building of additional plant space. In June, 1908, the Buick
plant was reported to be turning out a complete car every 12
minutes, and output was increasing. The plant operated 18
to 20 hours a day, and total output that June was 1,654 cars.
Buick won more racing trophies in 1908 than all other cars
combined, and that was the year when the famous Buick model
10 captured the imagination of men and women throughout
the country. The boom was on for Buick, for Weston-Mott,
and for Flint. It carried into 1909, when Buick production
passed the 10,000-car mark.

As for Weston-Mott, in the year beginning August 1, 1908,
the company's sales topped $2 million for the first time. Of
that sum, more than $500,000 was accounted total profit The
next year, the original $500,000 capitalization of Weston-Mott
was increased to $1.5 million and sales were more than $5.5
million. Such increase of production could be accomplished
only by tremendous expansion of plant, facilities, and working

31

force. In October, 1908, the Weston-Mott Company con-
tracted for a plant expansion to provide 105,000 additional
square feet of floor space. The company had about 500 em-
ployees and the new addition was to make room for 250 more.

This was a period of highly diversified and intensive activity
for Mott himself. He hired most of his executives during this
period, and functioned as sales manager and chief salesman for
the company. He also found time to follow his interest in
engineering and design. Mott notes: "For the first years there
was a question whether the engineer or I designed the axles.
In other words, I would explain the thing, talk it over, and
decide what we wanted to do, how we wanted to do it, and the
engineer would put it on paper. But I'm not trying to take
anything away from the engineers. In the course of time, it
became the responsibility of the engineering department, but
for a long time it was my responsibility." Among those
Weston-Mott engineers was F. A. Bower, later to become a
distinguished chief engineer of Buick and one of the most
active citizens of Flint in civic affairs.

No matter how busy he was, Mott held fast to his belief in
personal management. While able and willing to delegate both
responsibility and authority, he has never relinquished his own
sense of personal responsibility for accomplishment of estab-
lished purposes in the most effective possible ways. He also
found time for interests and activities outside the immediate
scope of the Weston-Mott Company. Asked if he would like
to become a director of Genesee County Savings Bank, Mott
accepted on the basis that he had had no experience in bank-
ing but thought it was a good time to learn.

1908 was a great year for Flint in many ways. It saw the
final transfer of all Buick operations from Jackson to Flint
and the increase of employment at the Buick plant to about
2,500 men. Albert Champion came to Flint and, with others,
founded the Champion Ignition Company. The Flint Journal
reported: "Mr. Champion is said to be the world's champion
motor-cyclist. He has taken prizes in almost every land, it is
32

stated, and has paced the greatest bicycle riders of the world.
The devices which will be manufactured by the new concern
are stated to be entirely his own invention." Champion was to
remain an important and colorful figure in the automotive
world, and his initials are still embodied in the name of the
AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors.

The most significant event of all in 1908 was the birth of
General Motors, with the official certificate of incorporation
filed in New Jersey, September 16, 1908. Duranfs urge for
expansion, founded on the success of Buick and the necessity
for increased facilities to meet the rising demand, was driving
for new channels. One of the first acts of General Motors was
the acquisition of 49 per cent of the stock of Weston-Mott
Company, leaving Mott still in control but tied closely to the
future of General Motors. Within another year, General
Motors acquired some twenty companies in the automobile
industry including Olds, Cadillac, and Oakland, so that sev-
eral Weston-Mott customers became part of General Motors,
thus increasing the already close relationship between the two
companies. Weston-Mott, however, still had outside customers.

A letter Mott addressed on July 31, 1909, to Durant illu-
minates the problems accompanying ever-increasing produc-
tion and the need for perpetual expansion.

July 31st, 1909
Mr. W. C. Durant,

c/o General Motors Co.,
New York, N.Y.

Dear Sin-
Enclosed please find copy of letter which I sent over to
Mr. Little yesterday and which we have gone over in detail
with him today. In further explanation will state that the out-
side contracts that we have taken on amount to about 30,000
sets and we presume that we have turned down other business
of equal amount. The 30,000 plus the 44,000 that we had
figured for General Motors Co., would have taken our capac-
ity and we should have had to work night and day to take

33

care of it. The additional 30,000 that you require is in excess
of what we feel we can take care of with present plans for
factory and equipment. The new factory Mr. Wood is going
to put up for us back of Imperial will be 400 ft. long, 74 ft.
wide, two stories and basement and he said he could have
this ready within three months from the time we placed order
three weeks ago, but we presume we will be lucky if we get
into it early in November.

Mr. Bassett feels that if we give him another factory same
size as above mentioned to be placed along side of it back
of the Imperial that he can equip that factory for front axles
using our present factory for rears and thereby be able to
get out the 25,000 Model 10's and 5,000 deliveries that
we would otherwise be unable to produce. He feels that that
will be all of the output we could expect to obtain from the
new factory this year but that in 1911 these additions would
enable us to considerable increase in our output.

Mr. Wood is out of town today but we presume if we
placed order with him at once that it would be December
first before he could get the building finished.

Regarding amount of funds necessary to handle this ex-
tension, will say that we should want to cover the building, ad-
ditional machinery and equipment, the stock and increased
account at least $400,000.00 more than our present plans, and
in order to take care of these we should require $100,000.00
of it available in September, $100,000.00 October, $100,-
000.00 November, and $100,000.00 December, to be bor-
rowed on notes maturing not earlier than August or September
1910. This money we would want to borrow aside from our
present sources of supply for in order to carry out our present
plans to get out the original 75,000 sets we figure that we would
want to increase the capital stock by $300,000.00 cash — one-
half by General Motors Co., and one-half by myself. What
additional money we needed we would be able to borrow from
banks with which we are at present doing business, this with
the understanding that we can depend upon your advice that
you have an outlet where we can use all of the General Motors
constituent companies' notes which we may receive in payment
of account. Furthermore, it is with the understanding that the
Weston-Mott Co., will not be called upon to furnish any addi-
34

tional cash capital or cash loan to the Oak Park Power Co., for
if it is up to us to do this we shall have to have borrowing
capacity for just that much more.

Mr. Little requested me to write you in full as above stating
that you would be in New York on Tuesday and would wire
me as to whether or not to proceed on above basis with your
assurance that the financial proposition would be taken care
of as above outlined.

The material situation is very serious with us and we have
requested Mr. Chapin of Brown-Lipe Gear Co., to be here
on Tuesday and the Union Drop Forge Co., on Thursday.

Trusting that this covers the ground and awaiting your
wire, I am,

Very truly yours,
C. S. Mott

These immediate problems were solved temporarily, as
were the hundreds of others that came up every week. Designs
also changed, and there was a perpetual need for new engineer-
ing and production developments. Weston-Mott had been
buying differential gears from the Brown-Lipe Company and
was that firm's largest customer. A decision was made to use
a new bevel-gear differential for Buick, Cadillac, Olds, and
Oakland. Mott called H. W. Chapin, secretary of the Brown-
Lipe Company, to Flint and asked him. whether his company
was prepared to make the new bevel gear. Chapin realized
that tooling costs would be tremendous, but made an imme-
diate decision to undertake the manufacture of the new design.
Additional financing was needed, and as a result the Brown-
Lipe-Chapin Company, with Mott furnishing half the capital,
was organized to handle the production. The company entered
into a contract with General Motors in February, 1910, and
later became part of General Motors.

The Weston-Mott Company, for all its close relationship
with General Motors, still maintained its separate entity, and
Mott had no hesitation in exercising the control represented
by his 51 per cent of the stock.

On May 6, 1910, Durant sent Mott the following telegram:

55

WOULD IT INTERFERE WITH BUSINESS AND WOULD YOU
CARE TO ACCEPT MEMBERSHIP GENERAL MOTORS DIRECTO-
RATE? EXPECT TO ORGANIZE PERMANENT BOARD NEXT WEEK.
PLEASE WIRE.

Mott telegraphed the following reply:

VERY MUCH COMPLIMENTED BY YOUR OFFER BUT FEEL THAT
UNTIL WE CAN MAKE AXLE SUPPLY SUFFICIENT AND SATIS-
FACTORY TO OUR CUSTOMERS AS WE EXPECT TO DO DURING
COMING SEASON THEY WOULD FEEL THAT WE WOULD
BE PREJUDICED IN OUR SHIPMENTS AND FEARING HOLDUP
AND POOR SERVICE AS AT PRESENT TIME THEY WOULD RE-
FUSE TO CONTRACT WITH US FOR NINETEEN ELEVEN RE-
QUIREMENTS. I WOULD NOT HESITATE IF I COULD FOR ONE
SEASON GET ENOUGH MATERIAL AND DEMONSTRATE OUR
ABILITY TO MEET SHIPPING SPECIFICATIONS. I, THEREFORE,
BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD NOT AT PRESENT BE TO BEST IN-
TEREST OF WESTON-MOTT COMPANY FOR ME TO ACCEPT.

The difficulty to which Mott referred in this telegram —
getting materials and supplies to keep up with increased orders
— applied with even more force to General Motors as a whole.
This problem of getting materials, coupled with an almost
incredible program of expansion, brought General Motors into
troubled times in 1910. In spite of enormous sales, expansion
had been so rapid, and so many companies had been pur-
chased, that a great deal of money was needed. When Durant
found that the only way to secure the money was to relinquish
his own management of General Motors, he did so. In Septem-
ber, 1910, General Motors gave a five-year 6 per cent note for
$15 million and common stock worth $2 million to get
$12,750,000 in cash to meet obligations. The Eastern bankers
who made the loan were also given control of the company
through a voting trust. It is a tribute to the vitality of the young
General Motors Company that it was able to survive such a
crisis. Durant remained a director, but busied himself with
other interests.

1910 had begun as a boom year in Flint, with a happy
36

accounting of the fantastic gains of 1909. Buick introduced
two new models, the No. 19 touring car and the No. 14 run-
about— along with continued production of the pioneer model
F, and the No. 10, No. 16, and No. 17. A state labor-bureau
report showed that average daily wages had increased from
$2.20 to $2.62 in 1909. Almost 500 women were employed in
Flint factories, and their average daily wage had also increased
—from $1.13 in 1908 to $1.18 in 1909. Flint entered 1910
as fourth city in Michigan in the number of wage-earners em-
ployed, having more than doubled its number of workers dur-
ing 1909. There were more than 10,000 employed in Flint
factories at the beginning of 1910, compared with 4,449 in
1908.

The automobile was beginning to become a major item in
world commerce, with the United States second to France in
the value of cars exported. Buick was sweeping along trium-
phantly, having made 4,437 cars in the last quarter of 1909 —
more than twice as many as Cadillac. Buick's output in that
quarter almost equalled the combined production of Reo,
Hudson, Regal, Franklin, Peerless, Fierce-Arrow, Mitchell,
and Stoddard-Dayton cars in the same period. It was claimed
that half the cars sold in Detroit in 1909 were Buicks. In the
first quarter of 1910, Buick made 6,478 cars, an increase of
nearly 50 per cent over the last quarter of 1909.

Flint was at the peak of activity, and in August, 1910, the
following official census figures summarized the stoiy of the
growth of Flint:

Year

Population

1855

2,000

1860

2,950

1870

5,386

1880

8,409

1890

9,803

1900

13,103

1910

38,550

37

It was in the midst of this roaring boom that the General
Motors expansion stumbled over its own magnitude and al-
most crashed of its own weight. More literally, the demands
of expansion went millions of dollars beyond available funds
— and the day came when Durant negotiated the incredibly
expensive loan from Eastern bankers at the cost of his personal
control of the company he had created. Through the whole
difficult period, Durant issued optimistic statements. Although
the group providing the new financing insisted upon Durant's
relinquishing control of General Motors, they accepted his
recommendation that Charles W. Nash — then superintendent
of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company — be made general
manager of Buick. The announcement of this fact was made
September 17, 1910, in a Flint newspaper, in the customary
euphemistic terms — requiring more than a little reading be-
tween the lines.

C. W. NASH TO BE GENERAL MANAGER OF BUICK PLANT

Charles W. Nash, of this city, will assume charge of the
plant of the Buick Motor company on Monday as general
manager of that big industrial institution. This change comes
as a sequel to a readjustment of the business of the company
which has been in progress for the last several weeks. The
appointment of Mr. Nash was made at the insistence of
W. C. Durant under whose direction the plant has been
operated and who has found it necessary to relinquish official
duties which have called for more time and attention than
he could well spare from the General Motors company and
other interests with which he is actively identified.

The business of general manager was tendered to Mr.
Nash by Mr. Durant six months ago, but its acceptance was
delayed until the present time, owing to the fact that Mr.
Nash had made all arrangements for an extended trip abroad
from which he recently returned. It is understood that Mr.
Nash will have full charge and control of the business of the
Buick Motor company in all its departments and that he will
devote his entire time to its interests.
38

Mr. Nash has heretofore been prominent in the indus-
trial affairs of Flint having been for a number of years gen-
eral superintendent of the associated factories of the Durant-
Dort Carriage Co. as vice-president of that organization and
a director of the Flint Varnish Works. Mr. Nash has been
in Boston for the last few days on business connected with
the Buick Motor company and is expected to return to this
city tomorrow.

There are seven models in the Buick line for 1911, and
all of them give promise of meeting with a favorable recep-
tion at the hands of the trade. The company is behind in its
orders and is turning out cars at the rate of about 65 per day.
The shipments for the 6 working days of last month
amounted to an even 400 cars, and the plant is working today
to produce 102 cars to bring the total for this week up to the
same number as last week. The number of cars turned out
for this week up to last night was 298. The number of men
employed in the several mechanical departments of the Buick
plant is upwards of 2300; the exact number on the payroll
yesterday, being 2393.

At the same time, there were cautious reassurances to a
worried Flint that "arrangements" had been made to secure
the financial stability of General Motors. In the meantime,
the working force at Buick had dropped under 2,500, and there
was considerable delay in getting the 1911 models ready. In
late September and early October, the details of the new financ-
ing reached the public. By October 10, the plant-expansion
activities were resumed at the Buick drop-forge plant. By Feb-
ruary, 1911, Buick employment was back up to 4,800, and
Weston-Mott had 1,000 workers.

39

FOUR

The fears and uncertainties of 1910, as they affected Flint
people, contributed to one rather remarkable event in the
town's political history: Flint elected a Socialist Mayor in
1911. This distinct shock to the "old Flint" people and the
business and industrial men suggested the unpredictability of
the thousands of "new" people who had been drawn to Flint
from every point of the compass. Indirectly, it had a strong
influence on Mott's future.

A Detroit newspaper story of May 30, 191 1, gave the public
a hint of what Durant had been doing with his time since re-
linquishing active management of General Motors. It also
introduced a new automobile name, but no one could have
guessed then just how large that name would be written on
the futures of Flint, General Motors, Durant, Mott, and the
automotive world.

W. C. DURANT TO START AUTO PLANT

W. C. Durant of the General Motors company and racer
Louis Chevrolet, one of the speed wonders of the day and
a co-worker with Mr. Durant in the manufacture and ex-
ploitation of fast cars, will establish a factory in Detroit for the
manufacture of a new high-priced car whose chief distinctive
feature will be an engine perfected during the last winter by
Chevrolet assisted financially by Durant.

After Chevrolet goes through the 500 mile race on the
Indianapolis speedway today he will enter a commercial race
for those rich rewards that go not to the drivers but to the
manufacturers of automobiles.

For the first time since his retirement last October, Chev-
rolet is expected to be in the big auto racing event of the
year today. He was at first listed as a relief driver but on

40

petitions of the pilots entered he was announced to drive a
Buick in the contest.

Last winter at a garage on Grand River Avenue in this
city, Chevrolet experimented secretly with a new type engine
that is to be the chief selling advantage in the new car. Chev-
rolet is of French-Swiss birth. He came to America in 1900
after securing in France a complete education in automobile
construction and driving where he made a record as a rac-
ing driver and expert. He has been a winner in many races
of national fame. After severing other connections he en-
gaged with Buick in 1908. As a skilled mechanic he was
retained in a business way by Mr. Durant.

The new Durant-Chevrolet car, it is stated, will be of high
grade. Mr. Durant will make his headquarters in Detroit
though he will retain his interest in the carriage works in
Flint with which he has been identified for many years.

On July 31, 1911, a second Durant activity emerged — the
Mason Motor Company. On October 30, 1911, a third Durant
project was announced: the Little Motor Company of Flint
The company was named for W. H. Little, former Buick fac-
tory manager. Little, and two other notable Flint men, C. M.
Begole and W. S. Ballenger, appeared as incorporators of the
new company, but it was known, of course, that Durant was
the "moving spirit of the enterprise."

The old Flint Wagon Works plant had been acquired with
871,000 square feet of floor space, and Durant said its capacity
would be 15,000 cars a year. He planned to make a 4-cylinder
runabout with self-starter — to sell for $600. He also planned
a 24-horsepower 6-cylinder car to be sold at $1,400. Thus in
a year the irrepressible Durant bounced back with three com-
panies sustained at first chiefly by the magical luster of his
name and the confidence of his old friends — among whom
Mott was one.

In November, 1911, Mott was making his second trip to
Europe — this time as a member of the Society of Automobile
Engineers. He made H. H. Bassett general manager of the

41

Weston-Mott Company and felt freer than ever before to
permit himself outside interests. Bassett announced that Wes-
ton-Mott business was unusually good, and that the company's
employment had reached 1,400, with still more being added
as fast as materials could be secured for them to work on. He
also mentioned the fine business during 1911 with the new
demountable wheel rims invented by E. K. Baker.

Mott, of course, had not been unaware of Durant's new
gestures in automobile manufacturing. In August, 1911, Du-
rant had invited Mott to join the Chevrolet venture.

Cadillac Hotel,
Detroit, Michigan,
August 22, 1911.

Mr. C. S. Mott,

Flint, Michigan.

My dear Mr. Mott:

I have reserved $250,000 worth of stock for you in our
new company and you can send me check for the whole
or any part of it at your convenience.

We have decided to establish permanently in Detroit and
have secured an ideal location. Construction work will com-
mence this fall. The arrangement of the plant will be similar
to the Buick but somewhat larger.

Everybody goes in on the same basis excepting Mr. Little,
who subscribes for $250,000 of the stock, paying in $125,-
000 and giving his notes (twenty-five for $5,000 each, draw-
ing interest at the rate of 5 % ) for the balance, secured by
the $125,000 stock issued against the notes. As the notes
are retired, an equal amount of stock is to be released. In case
he becomes incapacitated and is unable to give his undivided
attention to the business, any remaining unpaid notes are to be
cancelled and the stock returned to the treasury of the com-
pany. All of the subscribers will agree to the above, everyone
of whom are on the same basis excepting Mr. Little.

I think you will be quite pleased with the plan, policy of the
company and product I will explain more fully when I see
you.

42

If you prefer, the subscription can be made and the stock
issued in the name of some other party and endorsed over
to you.

Address next ten days care Cadillac Hotel this city.

Yours sincerely,
W. C. Durant
P.S. I would very much like to have you actively interested.

Mott did not write in reply at the time, but discussed the
offer with Durant somewhat later. At the beginning of October,
Durant wrote again, this time with an invitation to subscribe
for stock in the Little Motor Car Company.

October 2nd, 1911.
Mr. C. S. Mott,
Flint, Michigan.

Dear Mr. Mott:

A new organization for the manufacture of motor cars
in Flint is contemplated and the property of the Flint Wagon
Works has been secured for the purpose.

The plant will be entirely remodeled and when completed
will have approximately 350,000 sq. feet of floor space with
a capacity of 20,000 cars per year.

The new company, which will be called the Little Motor
Car Company, will have a capitalization of $500,000 pre-
ferred and $700,000 common, of which $207,000 of pre-
ferred and $469,100 common has been subscribed.

The company has obtained a contract and license from the
Chevrolet Motor Company for a term of years which en-
ables it to manufacture an attractive line of motor cars with-
out experimental or engineering expense (the heaviest ex-
pense items connected with the motor car business) and by
reason of this arrangement will be able to turn out a finished
product in ample time for the 1912 trade.

I propose to give my personal attention to the building up
of the organization and am in hopes of restoring to Flint one
of its oldest and until recent years one of its largest manu-
facturing institutions.

$293,000 of preferred stock (the balance of the capital

43

stock) is being offered at par with a bonus of 50% of com-
mon stock and $10,000 of this subscription is allotted to you.
Will you advise promptly if you are in position to handle
it or to what extent I can count upon you for financial support
in this undertaking?

It is necessary for me to add that I recommend this in-
vestment.

Yours very truly,
W. C. Durant

P.S. The principal subscribers to date are as follows: C. M.
Begole, $138,000 preferred, $69,000 common; W. S. Bal-
lenger, $69,000 preferred, $34,500 common.

Mott replied immediately, accepting the offer. In March,
1912, Durant wrote to Mott again on the question of the
Chevrolet stock reserved for him. Mott's reply is of special
interest because it reflects his belief that a man should be able
to observe and follow up an investment; he was not inclined
to make an investment in Detroit business because he did not
expect to be in Detroit. Further, the letter expresses his in-
creasingly warm feeling for Flint, its people, and the men of
his own organization.

March 29, 1912
Mr. W. C. Durant,

c/o Chevrolet Motor Co.,
Detroit, Michigan.

Dear Mr. Durant: —

I have just received yours of 21st inst. on my return from
New York City where I spent a few days with Mrs. Mott, who
has been indisposed for past six months.

There was a time when, especially through my friendship
with Bill Little, I felt I would like to have an interest in the
Chevrolet Company, but much time has since elapsed during
which I have turned the matter over in my mind consider-
ably and discussed it with my people in the East, and I have
come to the conclusion that ultimately I will find my way
back to New York State, where I was born and brought up,
and have many friends and relatives of my wife's as well as
44

my own, and I, therefore, feel it inadvisable to make a large
investment in Detroit.

I have, as you are aware, subscribed for Little Motor Car
Company and Copeman Electric Stove Company, stock which
was allotted me, and thus am with you to a certain extent
at least. I like Flint people and have many friends here from
whom it would be hard to break away, and I do not think I
will ever do so absolutely. I have developed the Weston-Mott
Co. to such an extent for the past twelve years at the expense
of my energy, and there are so many of my boys in my or-
ganization that I naturally want to see them and the business
thrive and prosper, no matter who owns the stock or whether
I am financially remunerated or not. My feeling toward you,
Bill Little and the old crowd has not changed, but my Western
interests will be confined to Flint.

Trusting that you will understand me better than I can
write and with kind regards, I am,

Very truly yours,
C. S. Mott

When he replied to Durant's letter Mott had already dem-
onstrated a new interest in Flint. On March 7, 1912, he had
been nominated as the Independent Citizens' Party candidate
for mayor of Flint — with a majority of 635 votes over the
other three primary candidates in the heaviest primary vote
recorded in Flint to that time.

Flint's election of a Socialist mayor, John A. C. Menton,
in 1911, had jolted Flint business and industrial people. With
the 1912 campaign coming up, Republicans and Democrats
joined forces in a new Independent Citizens' Party, and a group
of Motf s friends persuaded him to become the new party's
candidate for mayor. With Bassett carrying more of the load
at the Weston-Mott Company, Mott felt relieved of many
obligations. Asked many years later why so many people
wanted him to run for mayor, Mott remembered casually: "I
was a businessman who had conducted a good-sized business
on a safe and sound basis. I was friendly with everybody, and
I didn't have any enemies. They probably thought that a suc-

45

cessM businessman could do more for the city than a Socialist
mayor."

Mott's first public statement after announcing his candidacy
on the Independent Citizens' ticket has that straightforward,
down-to-earth quality which has always been characteristic
of him.

This is my platform. I have no radical ideas on city govern-
ment.

I am in favor of public improvements — good schools,
good and properly cared for streets, public parks, and free
public baths.

The city of Flint should have a sufficient supply of good
water and it should have as much in the way of public con-
venience as any other city of its size in the country has.

I believe that a mayor should endeavor to enforce the laws
and ordinances on the statutes, to assist in the passage and
enforcement of additional regulations for the proper protec-
tion of life, health, and property and for the general welfare
of the community without regard to personal or party prej-
udices.

If I am elected mayor of Flint, I shall endeavor to cooper-
ate with the common council along these lines for the benefit
of our city at large.

I am not an orator. I am not given to flowery speech-
making. I do not believe in bull-dozing. The people who
vote for me with the idea that I am going to carry things with
a high hand in the council will be disappointed if I am elected.
I will use my own methods to bring about the passage of any
measures that I advocate, but my methods will always be fair
and above-board. The political preferment of the men with
whom I might be working would not influence me in any ac-
tion that might be taken or anticipated by the council. The
making and enforcing of laws for the betterment of the city
as a whole and for the people of the city as a whole would be
my sole aim.

This is the platform upon which I stand today and upon
which I will continue to stand throughout the tenure of my
office if I am elected. My interests are coincident with the

46

city at large and with the business, professional, and working
men and their general welfare. I have the time to give much
of my attention to the affairs of the city and will not do it
sparingly if elected.

I feel under a compliment to Flint. Its people have been
very kind to me since I came here a stranger five years ago
and if a majority of them express their preference for me to
handle their affairs as the city's executive officer I will re-
ciprocate to the very best of my ability.

The campaign received great publicity, in which the most
impressive theme was that Mott was the "candidate of the
factory men" — meaning the hourly rated workers — as much
as he was the candidate of business and industrial leaders.
His easy victory in the primary was greeted by enthusiastic
statements from many of Flint's outstanding citizens.

As the campaign continued, there seemed almost to be a
competitive spirit to find new ways of endorsing Mott's can-
didacy— both by the city's leadership and the men in the shops.
There were also long debates about socialism in the papers.
Of the seventeen points in the Socialist platform, the seventh
may well have made a lasting impression on Mott's memory:
"We insist that school buildings shall be open for the use of
the public, when not in use for school purposes." It is a delight-
ful irony that this Socialist demand of 1912 should have been
brought into rich realization twenty-three years later in Flint
by Mott as a demonstration of capitalist democracy at work.

In the campaign, the Socialists attacked Mott as "Flint
Representative of Wall Street Interests," and claimed that he
wanted to be mayor in order to have his taxes reduced. They
asked him to permit the use of his factories during the noon
hour to hold Socialist meetings — presumably to advance the
candidacy of his opponent, Mayor John A. C. Menton. Mott
declined.

Amid Socialist talk of exploited workers, the papers friendly
to Mott announced that the Weston-Mott average wage for
factory men — excluding foremen, superintendents, and office

47

men, but including skilled and unskilled labor, boys, laborers,
and sweepers — was 27.25^ per hour, the highest rate known
anywhere in the country. Amazing as that figure is to us now,
it may also be noted that in Flint, at the same time, No. 1
round steak was 12# a pound, No. 1 regular sugar cured hams,
13$ a pound; sausage 10^ a pound; corned beef, 10^ a pound;
eggs, 220 a dozen; ginger snaps, 4 pounds for a quarter;
"women's 16 button, high cut, velvet shoes," $1.98; men's
spring suits and overcoats, "made to your order," $15 to
$27.50.

A Chicago Socialist, Edward J. McGurty, was brought in to
conduct the campaign against Mott and teach the Socialist
economic concept to Flint so that the people who were coming
from all over the country for Flint's relatively high wages
could make the astounding discovery that they were being
exploited. It is another of those cyclic humors of the years
that, in 1957, Mott was to give the University of Chicago $1
million for a building to house a staff concentrating on teach-
ing everybody the economic ABC's.

In 1912, the attacks were hot and heavy, personal and
vitriolic. Socialist atheism and free love were much discussed
on the one hand, and taxdodging, labor blacklists, and Wall
Street bosses on the other. Everyone, it seemed, felt deeply
and spoke loudly.

As the campaign drew to a climax before the April 1 elec-
tion, each faction had a mildly embarrassing bit of adverse
publicity. Mott's good friend Charles W. Nash, the man Du-
rant had recommended as general manager of Buick, was ar-
rested. The Flint Journal story made a virtue of necessity, but
the Socialist press was quick to say, "The man arrested for
working boys overtime will vote for Mott." The Journal story
is worth quoting; if public relations people are seeking ex-
amples of sincere and graceful handling of an embarrassing
situation, here is a classic:

Charles W. Nash, general manager of the Buick Motor
company, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a charge of vio-

48

lating the state labor laws. The specific charge was that boys
under the age of 18 years had been kept at work by the Buick
Motor company for more than 54 hours a week. The warrant
was served on Mr. Nash by Chief of Police McCall and fol-
lowed a complaint made by William E. Washburn, state labor
inspector, of Owosso. Mr. Nash was arraigned in Justice
Halsey's court and pleaded guilty. He was fined $5, which
he paid.

"I am glad that this case was brought against us," said
Mr. Nash to the Journal this morning. "It will serve as a warn-
ing to our foremen and superintendents to not violate the law.
The trouble in this particular case is that a number of foremen
and superintendents were not familiar with the law. This is the
reason it was violated. I wrote a letter to the state commis-
sioner of labor this morning congratulating him on having an
inspector who was attending to his duties at aH times.

"There are a large number of people who believe that state
officers are inclined to wink at violations of the state laws by
large corporations. I want it thoroughly understood that the
Buick Motor company does not wish to be winked at. We
propose to run our business in accordance with every letter of
the law. I hope that should there be any more violations of
the state labor law in our factory that the inspectors will pro-
ceed just as they did in this case."

Inspector Washburn gave the f ollowing statement in regard
to the case:

"The complaint in this case came in the form of a letter
to the state labor commissioner's office. The violations were
alleged in several parts of the Buick factories.

"In fairness to both Mr. Nash and his assistant, Mr. Allen,
I wish to state that I am convinced they were perfectly inno-
cent of the fact that the law was being violated. They are very
fair-minded men and were perfectly willing to correct the
conditions. Mr. Nash has seen to it that notices of the 54-hour
law have been posted in every department of the factory and
is supporting me every way he can in the enforcement of the
law."

The Flint Arrow published a story about the arrest of the
Socialist candidate for supervisor of Flint's third ward, who

49

had "careened around Police Headquarters" daring the police
to arrest him. The story continues, "After listening to his
drunken abuse for half-an-hour and making repeated efforts
to have the inebriated candidate for civic honors go home
peaceably, Night Sergeant McLean took his dare and had him
locked up in the county jail." The next morning the candidate
pleaded guilty, and was given a suspended sentence.

April 1 came, and Mott and the other Independent Citizens'
Party candidates were swept into office. Mott received 3,920
votes to Menton's 2,358. Mott issued the following statement:

I will stick to my platform.

I will be mayor for ALL of the people of Flint

I want to compliment and congratulate the men and women
of Flint on the splendid showing they made Monday in the
complete victory with tremendous majorities for the Inde-
pendent Citizens' Party.

All of the wards did splendidly, and the 1st, 5th, and 6th
wards particularly so.

I am sure that every man elected has the interest of the
public at heart and we will all cooperate and work hard to
give the city the best there is in us.

I am grateful to the electors for their confidence and their
support.

Mott took office on April 8, 1912, and began devoting him-
self to learning the complexities of Flint's municipal problems.
Sewers were of insufficient capacity, where they existed at all.
Streets were inadequate and in poor condition. The water sup-
ply was in question. Fire protection was in serious need of
improvement. There were some 40,000 people living in a
city with municipal facilities for 10,000 people.

A sane and perceptive editorial in the Flint Journal of April
2, 1912, recognized the functional, if strange, contribution of
the Socialists to Flint's awakening in the matter of effective
government.

When the electors of Flint voted to place Charles S. Mott
in the mayor's chair and elected all of the candidates of the

50

Independent Citizens' party they declared for a business ad-
ministration of the city government with a capable business
man at the head. An analysis of the returns will show that
it was not a vote of class against class, but a vote of the
majority of the citizens of Flint for a party ticket which stood
upon a platform of progress, efficiency and desired reforms.
Leaving all isms, economic, and other side issues out of the
question, the real determination of the electors was to place
in office the men who they deemed big enough to handle the
problems before the people at this time. . . .

Credit must not be taken away from the party which was
defeated in yesterday's election. The Socialists came into the
city government of Flint at a time when there was a wide-
spread protest against existing conditions. They awakened the
people of Flint to the need of a business administration, and
although the Socialists were selected as the ones to suffer as
the result of the awakening which they themselves had brought
about, it must be acknowledged that their advent into city
affairs has galvanized into renewed life the public conscience,
which henceforth will see that city affairs are rightly con-
ducted. The people of Flint were suffering from the hook-
worm in their city affairs until the Socialists pricked them and
awakened the electors to the fact that Flint ought to have a
business administration and an efficient city government.

The prospects for the coming year are bright. Men devoted
to the city and its advancement have been chosen, and their
ability is unquestioned. This year should be one of the best in
the city's history, from the standpoint of capable government.

51

FIVE

Mayor Mott began his administration with a frank announce-
ment that he had a lot to learn about city affairs, but that he
was in the process of getting the facts. He proposed to keep the
public informed as to actions contemplated and taken, and the
reasons for those actions so that the public would really know
what was going on in Flint's city government. He also stated
another principle for the city which he has followed consist-
ently in his own business affairs: getting the greatest value for
every dollar spent.

Of all Flint's problems, the need for storm sewers was the
greatest. Many years later Mott made these notes about the
sewer situation in Flint in 1912:

It was only a few days after I took office as Mayor of
Flint, in April, 1912, when we had a heavy rain storm. The
next morning a woman living on Avenue A or B, and just off
Detroit Street phoned me and told me that the sewer had
backed up into, and filled her cellar with water and sewage,
and she invited me to come up and look at it, which I im-
mediately did, and found that it was five or six feet deep in
her cellar.

Up to that time storm water catch basins, etc., were led
into the only sewer pipes which we had; namely, sanitary, and
when these were overloaded from higher ground, and capacity
at lower end was over-taxed, it caused backflow, with results
as indicated. Then, too, in North end of city (that would be
northwest of the corner of Leith Street and Industrial Avenue) ,
there was no provision for getting rid of storm water, and one
bad storm that we had flooded that entire section, several feet
deep, and even up to the kitchen stoves on the first floor

I called into consultation Professor Riggs of Department of
Sanitation at the University of Michigan, and he sent over
Professor Hoad and Assistants, and they undertook and pro-
52

duced a complete set of sewer plans for the city of Flint. Up
to that time the plans, or records of sewers put in were drawn
on sheets of paper of various sizes, and no record of relation
to each other, or to a standard "bench mark." And, in many
cases it took actual digging to determine this relation.

Complete plans for the city were made, and practically all
sewers at present existent were planned for exclusive sanitary
use, and together with extensions, etc., and then a complete
layout of storm water sewers adequate for the purpose. As had
been the custom here-to-fore, assessments were made against
the property benefited, but in the case of storm water sewers
the property owners objected, and won a suit against the City,
and the City had to put in the storm sewers at its own expense.

About this time Labor News ran headlines, "Why Does
Mayor Mott Want Storm Sewers?" The next day in Flint
Journal were large reprints of pictures I had taken of the
Leith Street Industrial Avenue section under flood, and under
pictures was printed "Mayor Mott's Answer As To Why
Storm Water Sewers Are Needed."

Mott also found that he was an ex-officio member of the
water board, and that there was no official record of the under-
ground system — since the only man who knew the location
of the water mains apparently considered that his special
knowledge made him indispensable as long as it was not com-
mitted to paper. Mott prevailed upon the water board to secure
a complete set of records of all water mains.

Mott also notes a special problem of insurance classifica-
tion:

During my first term as Mayor, local insurance agents got
after me, and said that Flint was in the third rate classification,
and that if we could get into the second class, then insurance
rates on property in Flint would be reduced.

I took the matter up with the National Board of Fire Under-
writers, and was told that I had a lot of nerve in asking for
improvement in classification when, as a matter of fact, they
said they had already made a report showing what we had to
do in the way of improvement in order to keep from being

53

put into fourth class, where they said we belonged. I told them
that I had seen the report, but it was too technical, and asked
them to send one of their engineers to Flint, which they did,
and I made a list of his requirements as to additional mains
and connections, valves, hydrants, and enlarged pumping
equipment to be put in. Also, list of additional fire-fighting
equipment, fire hose, etc., etc. And he said that when we
could accomplish all of those things we could get into second
class.

I got the approval of the Board of Aldermen, and the
Chamber of Commerce and others, towards working on such
a program, and in the course of years we got what was re-
quired, and got into second class,

In a rather unusual way, Mott made use of the newspapers
to reach the public directly, with open letters telling everyone
about the specifications of paving, about the operation of
Flint's Hurley Hospital, and asking for public reactions and
suggestions on various questions such as additional street
lighting. He also made his own position on each issue very
clear by this means.

Mott called upon the public to take a real and active interest
in city activities; he presented information about city affairs
and problems through the press in a continuing attempt to have
the public well-informed so that it could share the responsibility
for all city actions. A water filtration plant was built, and
sewer construction was under way — interrupted by complaints
from property owners about their assessments. Mott spent
virtually full time on his $100-a-year job as mayor, and
insisted that the voters, as "stockholders" in the City of Flint,
had the duty of keeping informed on all problems involving the
city.

Mott's innovations in city government included a suggestion
that a "municipal housekeeping commission" made up of
women be appointed. This immediately aroused the suspi-
cion of the Flint Equal Suffrage Association. Mott then pro-
posed that the association nominate the members of such a
54

commission. Mott also committed himself as a believer in
equal suffrage with this statement:

I believe in equal suffrage particularly for the benefit of the
thousands of working women who are supporting themselves
and sometimes their families and who have no one to repre-
sent their interest. It is absurd to argue that if women gave
proper attention to their homes and families they would take
no time for voting. Men are able to carry on large business
enterprises and still devote a part of their time to political
affairs. The average woman has as much leisure as the average
man in which to inform herself on public questions and if she
wishes to, can give her thought to them while performing
household tasks that are purely mechanical. I have never
heard any logical argument against woman suffrage.

During the same period, two of Duranf s Flint enterprises
were flourishing: the Little Motor Car Company and the Mason
Motor Company. A. B. C. Hardy was manager of the Little
Motor Car Company, and, by the arrangement with the Whit-
ing interests under which the old Flint Wagon Works had been
secured, he had to manufacture buggies as well as cars. A
newspaper item of June, 1912, mentions that 3,600 buggies
had been turned out, as well as an increasing number of the
popular Little cars. Mr. Hardy later stated that only $36,500
in new cash was put into the Little Company — and $10,000
of that was a claim which the Weston-Mott Company had
against the Wagon Works for axles.

In August, 1912, it was announced that Flint was to get the
Chevrolet Motor Company plant. Several factors made it
advantageous for Durant to consolidate manufacturing opera-
tions in Flint, rather than continue to make Chevrolet in
Detroit. Out of the Little Motor Car Company, the Mason
Motor Company, and Chevrolet, was to develop the powerful
Chevrolet Motor Company which was to take such a domi-
nant position in the automobile industry in years to come.

By September, 1912, Weston-Mott was employing 1,675
men, and hiring more every day, in addition to working over-

55

time. The company was making more than twice as many
axles, hubs, and rims as any of its competitors. Its customers
outside General Motors included many track, electric car, and
other automobile companies.

Flint's growth was indicated by the 1912 school census,
showing 1,190 more children of school age than in 1911 — an
increase from 6,687 to 7,877. Bank deposits showed increases
in all five Flint banks, and Flint tax valuations jumped several
million dollars.

By October, Flint's total employment in the plants was
reported as 8,000, an increase of 2,500 from the previous
year. Buick's September production, 1,657 cars, exceeded any
previous record. Former President Theodore Roosevelt visited
the Buick plant, asking many questions of Nash, and talking
with Mott in the Buick offices. Roosevelt expressed himself
as amazed at the immensity of the operations.

In November, 1912, Charles W. Nash was elected president
of General Motors. Mott's affection and admiration for Nash
are based on the long close friendship the two men enjoyed
Mott found in Nash that rarest and most misnamed of quali-
ties, "common sense." Nash had the true genius of perception,
the ability to weigh and relate causes and effects and to pro-
ject them to their inevitable results. The Flint Journal pub-
lished a thumb nail sketch of Nash's career at the time of his
election as president of General Motors. The amount of formal
education Nash received can be guessed from the fact that he
was "bound out" at the age of seven.

1864 — Born in DeKalb Co., Illinois on a farm.

1866 — Came to Forest township, Genesee Co., with his
parents.

1871 — Bound out to Robert Lathrop of Flushing to work
14 years for $100 and three suits of clothes.

1876 — Ran away because of the irksome apprenticeship and
hired out to work on the farms of L. J. Hitchcock of
Grand Blanc and Alexander McFarlan in Mt. Morris.
56

1881 — Made his first business venture of any account when
he entered haypressing partnership with W. J. Adams.

1884 — Married Miss Jessie Hallack of Burton.

1889 — Took job as clerk in grocery store of W. C. Pierce.

1890 — Went to Flint Road Cart Company, now Durant-Dort
Carriage Company to work as a carriage trimmer for
$1.00 per day.

1910 — Appointed general manager of the Buick Motor Com-
pany.

1912 — Elected president of the General Motors Corporation.

Among the notes Mott has made from time to time about
men he knew well, there is none so appealing as this incident
he reports of C. W. Nash — a man who never lost his simple,
down-to-earth humanity for all the magnitude of his accom-
plishments.

CHARLES NASH

All through his life, Charlie Nash was a kindly and con-
siderate friend to mankind. I have hunted deer with him in
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in the southern part of
Texas. We have slept close together on cold nights. He was
very handy at butcher work on the farm, and in hunting, and
also an excellent cook in camp.

One day I went bird hunting with him and several others
quite some distance north of Bay City. He had arranged with
a chap as guide, and this guide had an excellent bird dog that
he valued highly.

During a successful day's hunting, Charlie noticed that the
guide seemed to have something very much on his mind. When
we got back to camp and were eating supper, he managed to
get out of the guide what the trouble was. The guide had a
fourteen year old daughter who was troubled with a pain in
her side, which seemed very serious. But the old local doctor
said it was nothing but a "belly ache." Charlie got the idea
that it might be something different, so quickly after supper

57

he and the guide got in an automobile and drove some miles
to the guide's home.

Charlie examined the girl and came to the conclusion that
she had an attack of appendicitis. He had the guide drive over
to a place where they could telephone, and Charlie telephoned
the Pere Marquette people in Bay City and, through his in-
fluence as President of Buick, got the Pere Marquette Rail-
road to stop their midnight train at the small local flag stop,
at which time Charlie loaded the guide and his daughter on
the train for Bay City. When they reached Bay City, Charlie
had telephoned and arranged for an ambulance and doctor.
The child was taken to hospital and successfully operated on
for appendicitis and her life was saved.

A few weeks later, Nash received a crate — and in that
crate was the wonderful bird dog — the guide's most prized
possession, the only gift he could find adequate for the man
who had surely saved his daughter's life.

It is said in Flint that W. C. Durant, one day observing
Charles W. Nash cut a lawn, admired the way he worked, and
offered him a job with the Durant-Dort company in the lowest
common-labor classification. From this, Nash worked his way
up to become superintendent of Durant-Dort — and when the
Eastern bankers wanted a man to head Buick at the time they
displaced Durant's control in 1910, they accepted Durant's
advice to put Nash in charge, although Nash had had no auto-
making experience. Nash did a truly magnificent job with
Buick, and in rebuilding the fortunes of General Motors. It
is one of the most singular ironies that Nash resigned as presi-
dent of General Motors later because Durant — the man to
whom he owed the two greatest opportunities of his life — had
come back into power. The fault was neither Nash's nor Du-
rant's; there was no fault, really; there was only an irrecon-
cilable difference between the ways in which the two men
operated — & difference deeply rooted in the essential natures
of the two men. Mott has always had the most profound admi-
ration for both men, but for Nash he has also a warm personal
affection.

58

Weston-Mott wound up the year with awards and paid-up
insurance policies for sixty-two employees who had been with
the company five years or longer. Mott, in turn, was presented
with a loving cup by his department heads as a Christmas gift
Mott received another present, a Christmas stocking five feet
long, presented to him at his office in the Flint City Hall. It
contained samples of many Flint-made products, and toys
symbolizing the many civic improvements he was trying to
secure for Flint It was a friendly gesture expressing the grati-
tude of the city to a man who was devoting full time to the
presumably honorary job as mayor. Major problems as 1912
ended were still a sewer plan, a park plan, a street-improve-
ment plan, and a proposed charter revision which would pro-
vide an appointive executive staff for the city.

At the beginning of 1913, Flint took stock of itself — and
found a great deal to be proud of. Its factory production for
the year just completed was valued at $30 million. There were
8 theaters, 10 hotels, 25 churches, and 30 church societies.
There were 150 miles of streets and 10 miles of pavement
There was a new water-filtration plant. There were 21 public
schools and one parochial school. There was the largest auto
plant in the world, covering 56 acres. There was a city trolley
system, covering 12 miles. The tax rate, at $19.90 per $1,000
of assessed valuation, was said to be the lowest in any Michigan
city. The population was estimated above 42,000. The average
daily wage for 1912 had been $2.79 — one of the highest in
Michigan.

As 1913 proceeded, there was much discussion of whether
Mott would run for mayor again. A newspaper reported his
statement that he would run as an independent and not on any
partisan ticket, if at all: "There are many things yet unfinished,
which I would like to follow out to ultimate termination. As
far as the position of mayor is concerned, I will be only too
glad when I am freed of the duties of that office. It is not the
office that I want, but the work than can be accomplished by
the holder of that office."

A People's Party was formed — a somewhat different group

59

from the former Independent Citizens' Party — with Mott as
candidate for mayor. Mott recommended a bond issue involv-
ing some $300,000 for the needed work on sewers, roads,
parks, and paving, to be voted on in a special election, March
20, 1913. Four of the six items were approved by the voters,
and Flint was in a position to expand its municipal facilities to
match its tremendous growth of population.

The first part of 1913 brought an anti-vice crusade, a series
of prosecutions of coal dealers for short-weight loads, and a
campaign to establish a YMCA in Flint. The Socialists found
ways to criticize Mott's "business administration," but the
campaign had none of the fireworks of 1912. Mott received
4,290 votes to 2,341 for Menton, again his Socialist opponent.

Although there were no Socialists among the aldermen
elected this time, the administration ran into difficulties in
getting the sewer program accepted when individual assess-
ments were protested by real estate men. The common council
yielded to pressure and cut down the proposed sewer construc-
tion plan — only to face other pressure from those who wanted
the whole program carried out. Mott kept issuing statements
to the public to clarify the situation, but it seemed impossible
to secure any meeting ground between the two opposing
schools of thought. The controversy continued and held up
other city improvement work also — since paving was not to
be done until after the sewers were in. Objections and injunc-
tions continued to hamper the planned sewer construction.

Other matters showed definite progress. The YMCA cam-
paign was highly successful, and plans were made to construct
a bunding. A sum of $112,000 had been raised, $12,000
more than the original goal. The city enacted a pure-food
ordinance, regulating standards of meat and milk. Action was
taken, at the instance of the feminine Municipal Housekeeping
Commission, to abate the smoke nuisance. The council also
passed a child-welfare ordinance, providing for one or more
nurses in the city health department to have charge of child
welfare work in the city.
60

Throughout 1913 Flint was surging onward with production
and employment The number of men in the larger plants in-
creased from 6,000 in August to 8,000 in October.

For Mott, it was a year of decision. In 1908, General
Motors had acquired 49 per cent of the stock of the Weston-
Mott Company; in 1913, Mott transferred the remaining 51
per cent to General Motors on a straight exchange-of-stock
basis. "General Motors didn't have to put up a cent," Mott re-
calls. "It was paid from cash, property, and stock that the
Weston-Mott Company owned. The balance was made up in
General Motors stock — so that all that General Motors did
was to give me stock for the Weston-Mott Company. The
exchange of stock was on the basis of book value."

Considering that Weston-Mott sales exceeded $6 million in
the 1912-1913 fiscal year, the value of the company — and the
consequent stock holdings resulting from selling the remaining
51 per cent of it — explain Mott's basic acquisition of General
Motors stock. This was to become worth many millions of
dollars over the years and to make possible the establishment
and development of the Mott Foundation.

It was understood that Mott was to remain in charge of the
Weston-Mott Company. In 1910, when Durant had invited
Mott to become a director of General Motors, Mott had de-
clined on the basis that it would prejudice the position of
Weston-Mott in relation to its non-General Motors customers.
This factor no longer applied, and in November, 1913, Mott
was elected a director of General Motors — a position he has
retained continuously ever since, the only 1913 director still
on the board.

From 1907, when the Motts moved to Flint, to 1913 when
Mott disposed of Ms final Weston-Mott holdings to General
Motors, both Buick and Weston-Mott had grown by leaps and
bounds. In the course of this tremendous expansion, Weston-
Mott, like Buick, was hiring and training the perpetually in-
creasing supply of workers coming to Flint. The wages paid
were considered excellent for the time, and the surviving

61

wagon and carriage companies lost many skilled workmen to
the automotive plants.

As for Flint, the quiet "hick-town" the Motts had first
observed in 1905 was changing rapidly; the old patterns were
breaking up; the new social order had little homogeneity, be-
cause the changing population had little in common except
source of income. The people came in waves and surges, from
all over Michigan, from the South, from Europe, from almost
everywhere. They could not be assimilated by Flint's small-
town social patterns, so Flint simply added masses of people
who brought with them problems and differences which were
to result in social chaos for years to come. Drawing in these
masses of people, in the process of building automobiles, Buick
and Weston-Mott were unconsciously creating vast human
problems in the community, problems which were to become
increasingly apparent, and which were to require — and re-
ceive— an answer unique in American civic history. By a kind
of magnificent justice which seldom strikes so grand a balance,
Charles Stewart Mott, one of the dominant figures in the indus-
trial enterprise which brought this multiplied population to
Flint, was to do more than anyone else to provide that unique
answer to the problems Flint's heterogeneous population cre-
ated-—through the Mott Foundation.

SIX

In January, 1914, Mott stated that he would be a candidate
for re-election — on "an independent ticket and no other."
Mott's announcement included the statement "... I believe
that national politics has no place in municipal govern-
ment. — " Asked to amplify his formal announcement, Mott
said:

I started in nearly two years ago to give the people of Flint
what they needed in the way of improvements and what I be-
lieved and still believe that they want. It has been an almost
overwhelming task and by no means a pleasant one. If I had
completed the work that I set out to do I would retire now.
But I have not completed it. Of course, if the people of Flint
do not want it finished, well and good. That is for them to say.
But I will not be the one to back down. I would consider that
I had neglected a duty to Flint if I retired at this time.

Nash wrote a letter to the Flint Journal the day after Mott's
announcement and, with characteristic common sense, pin-
pointed the problems of the city as providing water supply,
sidewalks, sanitary sewers, and other facilities for the dwellings
that had sprung up in outlying districts of Flint to house fac-
tory workers:

Now, this work cannot be done without considerable cost
and the cost raised by taxation. All this work, I am satisfied,
has been undertaken by Mayor Mott because he wants to see
our factory people, who are really the people who are keeping
Flint alive, to have favorable conditions under which to live,
as other cities have. I have heard it said that Mayor Mott was
too much interested in the people who work in the north end
factories. I think this is unfair criticism. Although they may
live in the outlying districts, I believe the men who work in

63

these factories are entitled to the same consideration that is
accorded the people in the downtown district, who are other-
wise employed. That Mayor Mott has not completed the work
he set out to do for the people of Flint is due to an unfortunate
set of circumstances for which he can be in no way held
responsible. . . .

Charges of waste and extravagance were leveled against
Mott's administration. Mott and his backers publicized actual
savings achieved by his administration. Mott also recom-
mended resubmitting the problem of continued storm sewer
construction to the voters. He stated repeatedly that he did
not propose to have the city provide services the people did
not want — but that since the city was larger, bills were greater
for the services people wanted.

At a Progressive Party meeting, a speaker said of Mott:
"Mayor Mott is an honest man and a gentleman and he has
done a lot for the city, but he bores with too big an auger."
There was also some skepticism about the proposed charter,
and more than a little discussion of the purchase of voting
machines which Mott had ordered as an economy measure. At
a council meeting, Alderman William H. McKeighan presented
a resolution which would prevent use of the voting machines
in the coming elections. Mott stated that he had been expecting
such a gesture— but from the Progressive Party, not from a
member of his own administration. He had prepared a state-
ment on the speed, efficiency, and economy of the voting
machines. McKeighan's resolution failed to pass.

A Mott-for-Mayor Club publicized the accomplishments of
Mott's administration in public health, increased fire protec-
tion, lower insurance rates, and in other fields. Eventually there
were three tickets: Citizens Independent, Progressive, and
Socialist — with Mott, John R. MacDonald, and Menton, nomi-
nated in the primaries.

With all Flint's needs for municipal improvements, and the
projects undertaken in the preceding two years, Mott was still
able to point to the fact that Flint's tax rate was lower than
64

the rates in Bay City, Port Huron, Detroit, Saginaw, and
Grand Rapids. For 1914, the city's proposed budget was
$12,975 lower than for the previous year. Mott was also able
to note substantial balances in the lighting, fibre, police, build-
ing, salary, street, and bridge funds, totaling $88,900.

Looking over the Flint political situation with sharp but
somewhat cynical eyes, a Detroit News correspondent wrote
that Flint politicians were accounting for Mott's running for
a third term as mayor on the basis that he wanted to run for
Congress. The reporter pointed out that the Progressive can-
didate, MacDonald, was "credited with having a speaking
acquaintance with as many Flint voters as any man in the
city, and far more than the usual run of candidates have. Flint
has been his home for 35 years/' This reporter's analysis of
public attitudes toward Mott's administration is illuminating:

Mayor Mott has conducted the mayor's office like he con-
ducts his factory, which means on strictly business lines. But
there has been a lot of grumbling, the main cause appearing
to be that he inaugurated so many public improvements,
largely in the way of sewer and paving extensions, that dur-
ing his administration taxes have reached a new high-water
mark, notably for special assessments. Last summer when
taxes were payable, there were angry protests at the city hall
by hundreds of people whose only taxable property are the
homes where they live. They tell now that being a very rich
man, Mayor Mott doesn't seem to be able to see the tax situ-
ation from the angle of the poor man. That is, his political
opponents say this.

Mott immediately denied that he was running for re-election
as mayor as a prelude to a try for Congress in the fall; he stated
that he would not be a candidate for Congress on any ticket
if re-elected mayor — but that he might consider running for
Congress if not re-elected mayor.

Nash, busy as he was as president of General Motors, wrote
a long and thoughtful letter to the Flint Journal in which he
said that the factory interests and the interests of the people

65

of Flint were identical. He also said good things about Progres-
sive candidate MacDonald, but devoted strength and persua-
siveness to reminding people of Mott's accomplishments for
the city, and the need to continue Mott in office to permit
him to complete the work he had undertaken for the good of
the community. Nash evidently could feel that the confusion
of issues, parties, personalities, rumors, prejudices, and mis-
taken impressions had reached such a point as to leave the
election of Mott in doubt. The Flint Journal underscored
Nash's letter with a strong editorial derived from it, and con-
tinued to back Mott's candidacy with full force.

To add to all the cross-currents of confusion, on April 3,
before the April 6 election, there was some highly mysterious
activity reported at the Genesee County court house in Flint
— centering in Judge C. H. Wisner's private chamber. The
judge, the prosecuting attorney, the sheriff, various police
officers, and a stranger were involved. Mayor Mott was re-
ported to have entered the circuit judge's room for a few
minutes. Arrests made public were for violation of the local-
option law by selling liquor, and it was reported that a corps
of detectives had been making an investigation for several
weeks. Two former mayors had been called in for testimony.
Mayor Mott was reported to have been present throughout the
proceedings, but would say nothing except, "You will learn
all this when the election is over." It was surmised that political
issues were involved, but the judge kept a tight hold on release
of information. What effect the mysterious activities in the
court house may have had on the April 6, 1914, election can
scarcely be determined, since there were already so many
curious influences and factors at play.

MacDonald, the Progressive Party candidate, carried 11 of
the 14 precincts — with 3,193 votes to 2,445 for Mott and
only 492 for Flint's 1911 Socialist mayor, Menton. The new
charter was defeated — but the bonding issue to continue storm-
sewer construction was carried. The results of the election were
known a few minutes after the polls closed — thanks to the
66

voting machines which had been a major point of attack on
Mott during the campaign.

As Flint shook itself after the bitter election, Mott issued
this statement:

As I am just completing two years* experience on city
work, I do not feel that I can conscientiously congratulate
Mr. MacDonald, and he will understand me when he gets
through. But I do assure him of my continued friendliness and
best wishes for a successful administration and I stand ready
to co-operate with him and lend him all assistance possible,
whenever or if ever he may see fit to call on me.

I congratulate Flint that Mr. MacDonald has a reputation
for straightforwardness and independence, and I believe that
he will do things for Flint's best interests, irrespective of those
who would have him do otherwise.

Mayor-elect MacDonald also issued a graceful statement,
concluding with these words, "Am gratified to feel that at all
times I will have the benefit of the knowledge and valuable
experience in city matters of my worthy predecessor, Mayor
Mott, for whom I have the very highest regard."

Actually this defeat had been somewhat of a blow, and was
not without its aftertaste of bitterness. Mott was grateful to
Flint for the opportunities he had found in the city. He felt that
he was making a real and effective contribution to his com-
munity by serving as mayor, spending full time at a job which
was considered primarily an honorary function. He believed
in business methods and principles — and in getting the greatest
possible value from every tax dollar spent. He had disciplined
himself strictly to carry out only and exactly what Flint people
indicated they wanted the city government to do. He had kept
an open door to the public — had invited everyone to keep
informed and, in effect, to police all city activities. He had
been meticulously conscientious about his duties and respon-
sibilities as mayor. Mott had used all available media of public
information to keep Flint people aware of city activities and
plans. He had, indeed, in all matters, acted in what he believed

67

to be the best interests of the whole city and all its people —
and he had accomplished an amazing number of improvements.
And now when he was willing to continue another year to
complete the program Flint people said they wanted, the
voters repudiated him. Yet in the same election they approved
continuation of the storm-sewer construction he had under-
taken as perhaps the greatest necessity of all for the city.

Smarting inwardly under the defeat, although bearing it
outwardly with good grace, Mott felt the need to get away
from Flint for a time. He and Mrs. Mott set out on a tour of
Europe. After visiting England and Holland, the Motts were
joined in Paris by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. and by
Mrs. Mott's parents. Early in July, the Motts returned to Flint.
Mott's friends, including Flint's most distinguished citizens,
held a banquet in his honor. W. W. Mountain was toastmaster,
and he began the tributes to Mott, lauding him for "Better-
ment of Flint Both from the Civic and Industrial Standpoint."
W. H. Little talked about "Old Associations," remembering the
days when Mott had first come to Flint. Little's sense of humor
was foremost, as always. He described Mott's invention of a
demountable rim which was very easily removed from the
rim. In fact, according to Little, the real problem was to keep
it on the wheel.

C. W. Nash spoke on "Manufacturing Interests as Related
to City Government," tracing the growth of Flint's industry
and consequent growth of the city's civic needs, and pointing
out that Mott had understood those needs and had done a
great deal to help meet them. Nash also paid a personal tribute
to Mott, saying that Mott's advice and counsel had been very
helpful to him — and expressing satisfaction that Mott had been
made a director of General Motors so that Nash would have
that advice and counsel available.

J. D» Dort spoke on "The Ideal City," relating how much
Mott had done in helping Flint toward becoming a finer com-
munity for all its people. Last, in a generous tribute to Mott,
Dr. C. B. Burr pointed out that Flint had already benefited
68

and would continue to benefit from the constructive ideals
and thorough performance of Mott. Dr. Burr then made the
presentation of the evening to Mott — a handsome silver loving
cup inscribed:

Presented by His Friends and Fellow
Townsmen to

HON. CHARLES S. MOTT

Twice elected on a non-partisan ballot

MAYOR OF FLINT

1912-1913

In grateful recognition of his unselfish

devotion to the public welfare

and his insistence upon the

application of business

principles in municipal

government.

The tremendous attendance at the banquet, and the good
words from leading men in Flint, made Mott feel that Flint
had not really rejected him after all — and that there was
understanding appreciation of his intentions, efforts, and
accomplishments among those about whose good opinion he
cared most. The loving cup, and the ceremonies attending its
presentation, served to wash away the tinge of bitterness Mott
had felt on losing the election.

Michigan's Gov. Woodbridge N. Ferris laid the cornerstone
of the new YMCA building, and Mott, who had taken a lead-
ing part in the fund-raising campaign for the building, was
named chairman of the board of directors. Mott still operated
the Weston-Mott Company for a General Motors flourishing
under the direction of Nash. Nash and Mott liked and under-
stood each other. They were alike in integrity, common sense,
and the belief in hard work and thoroughness. Each depended
upon the advice of the other.

69

SEVEN

In its New Year's Day editorial, January 1, 1915, the Flint
Journal noted: "To Flint, the Old Year has brought prosperity
almost unlimited. It has seen the transition from the country
village of yore to the modern city practically completed."
Flint's population had pushed beyond 50,000, and it was no
longer easy to predict what would happen in the growing com-
munity. People were boasting that their city was spending
more than half a million dollars on improvements and, in
general, was riding the crest of a wave of prosperity. To Flint,
the war in Europe was exciting but still remote.

The war was rolling back and forth across Europe; England
and Germany were both grumbling at the United States. A
threatening financial crisis in the United States was scarcely
felt in Flint. America was becoming more and more enthusi-
astic about automobiles — and both Buick and Chevrolet were
doing well. Flint was still making buggies, too — and the Ex-
ecutive Committee of the Carriage Builders National Associa-
tion recommended that a standardized buggy be adopted by
the trade.

General Motors common stock was quoted at $99. Louis
Chevrolet was coming out of retirement to resume auto
racing. An Auto Page became a feature of the Flint Journal
—advertising the Saxon Roadster at $395, the new 1915
Maxwell at $695, the Chevrolet Baby Grand Touring at $985,
the Chevrolet Royal Mail Roadster at $860, and Fords at
$450 up. The Buick plant was called the largest manufacturing
plant in the world except the Krupp Gun Works and Baldwin
Locomotive Plant

Not without misgivings, Mott was persuaded to run for
mayor again in 1915; he was not enthusiastic about the idea
70

but accepted it as a duty. Again he insisted on running on a
Citizens Independent Party ticket. Alderman John G. Windiate
and Alderman William H. McKeighan filed petitions for the
primary on the Republican ticket.

Statements of the candidates were reasonably typical of
the men. Windiate said in part: "The main issue in this cam-
paign is the enforcement of law and order. ... In a general
way, I stand for a reasonable amount of necessary improve-
ments but not to such an extent that they will become a burden
to the small taxpayer."

His opponent in the Republican primary, McKeighan, said
only, "Tell them that I will be mayor for all the people."

Mott said:

I am not seeking the office of mayor, and had no thought
or desire to run until the eleventh hour, when I was ap-
proached by men who thi'nV that city affairs should be taken
out of national party politics, and who desire that the business
of the city should be conducted on business principles — and
I consented to the use of my name. Acceptance of office
would mean much personal sacrifice for me, but if elected I
should devote most of my time to the upbuilding of the city,
as I have done in the past

In the Republican primary, Windiate represented the con-
servative "old Flint" part of the population, which was being
inundated by the waves of "new people" from everywhere, who
were still coming to Flint in vast numbers for jobs. McKeighan
was the young, handsome hero of the "North-end new people"
— a political charmer with a sound feeling for political expedi-
ency and the kind of oratory which fills the ears and churns
the emotions without involving the intelligence.

On March 3, the largest vote in Flint's primary history was
cast — and McKeighan beat out Windiate for the Republican
nomination by some 250 votes. Mott, unopposed for the Citi-
zens Independent ticket nomination, received an unimpres-
sive token vote. In editorial comment, the Flint Journal medi-
tated gloomily, "There is a question, and it is a very serious

71

one, whether there can be such a thing as a representative vote
in Hint/' This question was raised by the fact that some 2,000
had voted for the first time in the primary — and, while they
had been in Flint long enough to satisfy legal voting require-
ments, they were in large part "transients" in a real sense. No-
body could predict what Flint voters would decide about any-
thing.

The really exciting issue of the coming election was not
electing a mayor, but deciding the "wet or dry" issue. Flint's
local-option laws were not highly respected by much of the
population, and the "wets" organized as the "Genesee County
Liberal Association," worked aggressively to restore the free
flow of liquor.

McKeighan was elected with almost 1,200 more votes than
Mott, and Genesee County remained "dry" by a majority of
612 votes. In a somewhat shoulder-shrugging editorial, the
Flint Journal pointed out that surprise and disappointment at
the results of the election would have been on one side, if not
on the other — and that what was in the best interests of the
people was the only important thing. Clearly, Flint was chang-
ing so rapidly that a "realistic" policy on the part of the news-
paper required consideration of a completely new set of values.

Mott issued a characteristic statement:

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many
friends who sought so diligently to bring about my election.
It is a satisfaction, indeed, to know that so many of them
demonstrated their desire to see me elected, entering into a
campaign with an enthusiasm unbounded and carrying on the
work with a spirit of personal interest that one neither asks
nor expects from even a friend. What regrets I may have are
in their disappointment rather than my own, for it was my
own desire merely to be of service to Flint if the people of
Flint desired my services.

In view of the odds with which we had to contend I feel
that I have reason to be extremely gratified over the showing,
not that I personally but that my friends have made for me.
72

We were all working against overwhelming odds, a fact that is
apparent on the face of the returns which show a Republican
majority in the city of better than 5,500. When one stops to
think that practically every vote cast for me was a split vote,
by men who sought to give preference to me over the candi-
date on their own ticket, and sought out my name from its
obscure place on the ballot, there is, in my opinion, every
reason to be gratified.

As in 1914, many factors combined to defeat Mott in 1915,
but this time the loss was rather a relief than a source of bitter-
ness. Mott had been willing to serve out of a sense of civic
duty; his defeat relieved him of that particular obligation.

Flint kept on growing, and again the need of additional
housing became acute. A company to promote the building of
houses in Flint was formed, with Mott and Dort each sub-
scribing $10,000 toward setting up a $250,000 fund; Mott
was made head of this company. Pledges to construct 280
houses were made at the first meeting of the group.

September, 1915, brought news that Chevrolet Motor Com-
pany of Delaware had been incorporated by W. C. Durant with
$20 million capital. Although there were plants in various
parts of the country, the main manufacturing units were to be
in Flint. Chevrolet stock had reached $250 a share.

Thus Mott's willingness back in 1912 to accept stock instead
of the cash he could have demanded from the Little Motor Car
Company — one of the basic companies combined into Chev-
rolet— began to appear as a sound investment instead of merely
a helpful gesture.

Through Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware, Durant
— by trading Chevrolet stock for General Motors stock —
was able to regain control of General Motors on September
16, 1915 — exactly seven years after he had organized it. A
dividend of $50 a share on General Motors common stock was
declared, a fact which is the more impressive when it is re-
membered that at one point in 1913 the stock had sold for as
little as $25 a share. Under the Nash management, and with

73

the added impetus of the "munitions boom" through these
years, General Motors had prospered remarkably. Weston-
Mott, as a unit of General Motors, had shared this vigorous
growth — and Mott, as a General Motors stockholder and
director, grew both in fortune and in prestige. He maintained
the most friendly of relations with all the major figures in
General Motors, from Pierre S. du Pont, the new chairman of
the board of directors, to Durant, Nash, Chrysler, and the rest
Never carried into extreme or emotional partisanship in the
areas of conflict which arose within the organization, he was
trusted by alL He took strong positions on issues of policy,
but only on the basis of what he considered best for the com-
pany as a whole — without regard for the special interests of
individuals. Mott's impartiality, clear vision, wide experience,
and common sense have always been a stabilizing factor in the
direction of General Motors.

Flint's automotive and subsidiary plants were kept busy
through 1915 — with Buick, Chevrolet, Paterson, Dort, and
Monroe cars in production. There were four Flint men on the
General Motors board of directors: Mott, Nash, Durant, and
A. G. Bishop, of Genesee County Savings Bank. Nash an-
nounced in November that, after distribution of the $50 divi-
dend on each share of common stock — some $11 million —
General Motors was still in an excellent cash position, and that
all subsidiaries were operating on a paying basis. Nash also
announced that Buick expected to double its output in the
following eight months — and would add employees in Flint
accordingly. He expected that 3,000 more houses would have
to be built in Flint for additional employees.

Surging production and employment went on into 1916,
with 15,000 men working in Flint plants at the start of the
year as compared with 8,000 at the beginning of 1915. Flint
banks boasted over $9 million in savings deposits, and 1,400
new construction building permits had been issued in 1915.
The new Flint YMCA had a thousand members.

Early in January, it was announced that General Motors
74

common stock had been put on a permanent dividend basis
of 5 per cent quarterly — with the first 10 per cent payment,
representing the past and current quarter, payable February
15. It was feared that this low rate of return — a mere 20 per
cent per year — would be disappointing and discouraging to
investors, and would cause a drop in the price of the stock. It
was explained that higher dividends could be paid — since the
net earnings of the company in the six months ending February
first were estimated at $12 million — but the directors preferred
to be conservative, with the expectation of declaring an extra
dividend over and above the 20 per cent at the end of the year.

On June 1, 1916, Nash resigned from General Motors, and
Durant assumed the presidency. Nash must have been deeply
conscious of the debt he owed to Durant for the two great
opportunities of his life: his first job with Durant-Dort Car-
riage Company, and his first job with General Motors. Yet so
greatly had Nash grown with the stature of his accomplish-
ments that he felt he must resign from General Motors when
Durant regained control, although apparently Durant wanted
Nash to stay. Durant's confidence in Nash's extraordinary
abilities had been more than justified, since Nash had, in the
years between 1910 and 1916, brought General Motors into
a position of triumphant security, solvency, and competitive
strength. Nash went on to develop his own company with con-
tinuing success.

Later in 1916, Harry H. Bassett, general manager of Wes-
ton-Mott, became assistant general manager of Buick — under
Walter P. Chrysler, president and general manager. Chrysler
had been brought to Buick by Nash in 1912, and had proved
a remarkably effective works manager. Both of these men were
close to Mott. Bassett was the young man Mott had hired from
the Remington Arms Company back in 1905; Chrysler was
one of Motfs closest friends. With that insight into character
which has served him so well over the years, Mott had recog-
nized the capacities of both men. It was in 1916 that Mott
became a vice-president of General Motors.

75

With the entry of the United States into World War I in
April, 1917, all General Motors plants were put at the disposal
of the Government, and there were many changes. Also in
1917, the separate companies held by General Motors were
absorbed as divisions. General Motors had become an operat-
ing company rather than a holding company with the change
in organization, although the divisions retained a degree of
autonomy.

In February, 1918, it was announced that Chevrolet would
at last become part of General Motors. Capitalization of Gen-
eral Motors was increased to $200 million. Although there was
some disruption of production in the transition to war work
in the plants, most General Motors units were rapidly utilized
for war production.

Because of the complexity of new problems brought to city
administration by the war situation, Mott was persuaded to
become a candidate for mayor of Flint again in 1918. Flint's
1917 mayor, George C. Kellar, stated, "... I can best serve
this community by withdrawing in favor of Mr. Mott. The
emergency demands the ability and courage of a citizen such
as Mr. Mott has always shown himself to be." Kellar, a good
friend, had urged Mott to enter the campaign. This time, Mott
ran on the Republican ticket and was opposed in the primary
by George H. Gordon. The only other candidate was John S.
Tennant, running on an Independent ticket, so it was generally
assumed that nomination would be tantamount to election.

Five days before the March 6 primaries, the Flint Labor
News devoted its full front page to support of Mott's can-
didacy. The headline was: "WHY MOTT FOR MAYOR?" The sub-
head continued " Mott for Mayor' Should Be the Slogan of
Every Citizen Voter Who Desires a Just and Efficient Admin-
istration of Local Government for Progressive Flint." There
followed a solid page of editorial comment noting Mott's many
services and contributions to the community, praising his char-
acter, and recommending his election in the strongest possible
terms.

76

On March 6, 1918, Mott was nominated for mayor with
a majority of 1,577 over his opponent.

On the day after the primaries, the Flint Journal reprinted
part of an editorial it had presented after Mott's defeat by
MacDonald in 1914, noting that the future would rightly
place the credit Mott's constructive services as mayor had
deserved.

Mott's after-nomination statement was: "I wish to thank
sincerely all of the men who have by their efforts and votes
made yesterday's results possible, to affirm again my belief in
and friendship for the people of Flint, and to state that if
elected it will be a pleasure to me to serve this city to the best
of my ability." His final election was almost a taken-f or-granted
formality. Among his first problems as mayor was urging
people to buy the kinds of coal then available in anticipation
of the next winter's needs. Soft coal was on hand but hard
coal was scarce.

77

EIGHT

An atmosphere of excitement prevailed throughout Flint —
with Liberty Loans, Red Cross, and the war news. In May,
Mayor Mott found it necessary to issue the following statement
for publication:

To whom it may concern:

Flint has always had a reputation of being a law-abiding,
as well as one of the most patriotic places in the United States,
and I feel sure that you wish your reputation sustained.

Unpatriotic citizens and pro-Germans deserve more severe
punishment than they can possibly get, but the officials of this
city and county cannot take that as an excuse for mob-rule
and law breaking.

Take notice that the police department has been instructed
accordingly.

Flint's first full-time health officer, Dr. William DeKleine,
found real backing for his various health programs with Mott
as mayor. By this time, the salary of the mayor of Flint was
$2,500 a year, and Mott asked DeKleine what the doctor
could do with a gift of the mayor's salary to the health depart-
ment. DeKleine answered that he wouldn't know what to do
with $2,500, but would know what to do with $5,000. He
wanted to employ a dentist and organize a dental department
to go into the schools to correct the dental defects of children.
Mott took the suggestion to the school board, and the board
matched his $2,500 with an appropriation of the same amount,
and Dr. DeKleine put his school dental department into opera-
tion.

The year 1918 brought into General Motors one of Mott's
old and close friends, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Sloan was president
of the group of parts manufacturers Durant had originally
78

organized as United Motors. When the group was acquired by
General Motors, Sloan also moved to the corporation he was
later to head. Thus an association between Mott and Sloan,
going back many years, continued even more actively in the
years to follow.

Another long-time friend of Mott was highly active in Flint
city affairs in 1918 — Roy Brownell, then Flint's prosecuting
attorney, later to be associated closely with Mott over many
years.

In July, 1918, Maj. George D. Wilcox, Detroit District
Manager of the Motors Branch of the U.S. Army Quarter-
master Corps, urged Mott to take charge of production for
Michigan and Indiana. Mott went to work the next day, and
was told to pick his own men. He chose men from the auto-
mobile industry to carry out the work in production of vehicles
for the army; these included a number of Flint men. Many
years afterwards, Mott noted: "We had first-class men in my
outfit I picked the kind of men who had been doing the same
type of work they would be needed for. And they were the
men who did the work while I was thrashing the thing out
with Washington. We were stock-chasers. That was my job:
Top stock-chaser."

Mott worked both as Flint's mayor and as Chief of Produc-
tion of the Motors Branch of the Army Quartermaster Corps.
In November, his commission as major was formally issued,
which required him to resign as mayor of Flint His resigna-
tion was announced November 8, 1918 — the same day that
newspaper headlines were black with the fact that the previous
day's "armistice report" had been false. In his letter of resigna-
tion to the Flint Common Council, Mott expressed regret in
resigning, but stated that he felt the War Department had first
call on his time.

In acknowledging Mott's letter of resignation, Flint's alder-
men congratulated him upon his appointment, expressed ap-
preciation of his financial assistance for health services, and
noted: "This council desires to express its own sentiment and

79

that of the people of this city upon your resignation from the
office of mayor. We feel that the services you have rendered
to our city were greatly in excess of mere duty, were in fact
the product of devotion to the highest ideals of public service."
On the day Mott was honorably discharged from his job
in Detroit by the War Department, January 31, 1919, the
Flint Board of Commerce held a banquet honoring W. C. Du-
rant. In the course of his talk that evening, Durant spoke with
warm affection of Flint, and the men who had worked with
him in the development of General Motors. He paid special
tributes to Walter P. Chrysler and to Pierre du Pont. Durant
also read to the 550 men present at the banquet a letter he had
received from Winston Churchill, then minister of munitions
for Great Britain. The letter, addressed to Durant as president
of General Motors, stated:

My Dear Sir,

Sir Percival Perry has reported to me concerning his recent
mission in the United States of America, and I am advised of
the valuable and enthusiastic assistance rendered by your ex-
ecutive officers and organizations.

I desire personally to thank you and your staff for the help
which you rendered, and to express my appreciation of the
fact that the enthusiasm and interest which was exercised
was something more than ordinary commercial considerations
would demand.

A cessation of hostilities has been secured without appli-
cation of the special means which you so wholeheartedly un-
dertook to contribute; yet I am sure you will agree with me
that the advent of peace is a reward sufficient to compensate
for all endeavour.

Believe me
Yours sincerely,
Winston S. Churchill

With the permission of the group assembled, Durant cabled
the following reply to Churchill:
80

Hon. Winston S. Churchill,
Minister of Munitions,
White Hall, London, England.

At the third annual meeting of the Board of Commerce of
Flint, Michigan, held last evening, attended by 550 members,
at which I was the honored guest, I took the liberty of read-
ing your personal letter of December 3 appropriate to the oc-
casion in the review of recent events and because Flint, Michi-
gan, is the birth-place of the General Motors Corporation,
the pride of every Flint citizen, everyone without exception
interested in the development, progress, ideals, and standards
of that organization.

I join with the members of the Board of Commerce in
hearty greetings of good will and sincere thanks for your
courtesies and much appreciated compliment.

W. C. Durant

At the banquet, Durant spoke in glowing terms of the future
growth of both Flint and General Motors. He also spoke of the
responsibility the company felt in providing housing for its
employees — which resulted in the Modern Housing Corpora-
tion development by which many homes were built in Flint
General Motors had expanded tremendously in 1919, buying
a number of companies, and constructing the $20-million
General Motors Building in Detroit, as well as purchasing a
controlling interest in Fisher Body Corporation.

In the fall of 1919, Mr. and Mrs. Mott, with a group of
other General Motors executives and their wives, visited and
inspected industrial establishments in France, Italy, and Eng-
land. The group included: Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.,
Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Chrysler, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Cham-
pion, and Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Kettering.

On November 1, 1919, Walter P. Chrysler resigned as
president and general manager of Buick and first vice-president
in charge of operations for General Motors. A few months
later, he joined the Willys organization. Mott remembers that
Chrysler was often frustrated by Durant's casual way of over-

81

riding plans others had made. Although Chrysler had been
made executive vice-president, he could never know when
Durant would change policies. Mott recalls a particular in-
stance in which he and Chrysler had left Flint at six in the
morning for a meeting in Detroit with Durant. The meeting
went on and on without even a break for lunch. Chrysler's
temper mounted with his hunger, and the discussion degen-
erated into quarreling. Later, Mott mentioned to Durant that
it might have been helpful to send out for sandwiches and
coffee. Mott regretted seeing Chrysler leave General Motors,
but he knew that Chrysler could no longer tolerate the situa-
tion under which he was working.

1920 opened with every expectation of another big year for
Flint, with 29,000 men working in Flint factories, and plans
for further industrial expansion. Mott once more entered
politics — at the strong urging of his friends Charles Greenway,
Leonard Freeman, and others — as candidate for the Repub-
lican nomination for governor of Michigan, issuing the follow-
ing statement:

If nominated and elected, I promise the state will be hon-
estly and effectively administered. I am an engineer by edu-
cation, an executive by training, and three terms as mayor of
Flint have given me an insight into what ails government and
what may reasonably be done to improve government through
careful planning and prompt execution. It is not for me to say
what my chances are; but if the people of Michigan want me
as badly as my friends say they do, I am their man from now
on. Needless to say, the letter and spirit of the corrupt prac-
tices act will be scrupulously observed during my campaign.
I would count it an honor to have my name appear on the
same ballot with electors pledged to the Republican ticket*
Harding and Coolidge.

Mott's close friend, John J. Carton, campaigned vigorously,
and Flint organized effectively to back Motf s candidacy, but
Mott was not well enough known in the rest of the state. There
were, of course, attacks based on the idea that General Motors
was seeking control of state affairs; Mott's headquarters
82

countered the accusation strongly, pointing out that the same
claim had proved to be unfounded during Motfs terms as
mayor of Flint. Mott's showing — third in a field of nine candi-
dates— was considered to be very good considering that he
was neither a politician nor an orator. He received an over-
whelming vote in Genesee County.

In mid-1920, the postwar depression began to affect Gen-
eral Motors — then in the midst of expansion in many direc-
tions. Inventories piled up— falling grain and livestock prices
hurt automobile sales and proved disastrous to the tractor sub-
sidiaries. A falling stock market drove General Motors stock
down, and Durant bought enormously in an attempt to keep
the stock above $20 a share. Eventually, his commitments
went millions of dollars beyond his personal resources — and
it was necessary that someone with considerable financial
capacity take over those stocks to prevent their being unloaded
on an already depressed market. The du Fonts, with the help
of J. P. Morgan & Company, took over the stocks — averting
their complete loss by Durant, and preserving the credit and
standing of the company.

For the second time, Durant left General Motors — on No-
vember 30, 1920.

In the changes affecting General Motors in 1920 and 1921,
Mott, as always, was a stabilizing influence. Neither a "Du-
rant man," nor an "anti-Durant man," he was, in his own phrase>
"in the good graces of the whole outfit.** Years later, Pierre du
Pont referred to Mott as having been "a tower of strength dur-
ing the Durant debacle.*' The reorganization of General Motors
in 1921 brought Mott into his most active and effective service
to the corporation through a new job. The following announce-
ment from the Flint Journal of April 11, 1921, appears to have
been devised carefully for its effect on the strong-division or
strong-central-office schools of thought.

MOTT MADE CHIEF OF ADVISORY STAFF OF GM

C. S. Mott, who has been a vice-president and director of
General Motors Corporation for more than six years has

83

been made chief of the advisory staff of the corporation with
headquarters in Detroit. Mr. Mott succeeds Alfred P. Sloan,
Jr., in this capacity following a decision to place an officer in
the Detroit offices while Mr. Sloan is needed in the produc-
tion branch which is operating from New York.

Mr. Mott, who returned Saturday from New York, said he
was assuming the new responsibility at a cost of considerable
personal inconvenience to himself and his family, since it will
require that he spend a large part of his time in Detroit and
he has neither the desire nor the intention to give up Flint as
his residence, but as it seemed advisable to take care of the
condition at this time he decided to take up the work.

Mr. Mott will represent the corporation in its Detroit office
and will head the advisory staff which consists of such men as
A. B. C. Hardy, director of advisory purchase section; C. F.
Kettering, director of advisory engineering section; Norval A.
Hawkins, director of advisory sales section; Henry L. Barton,
and a number of others. Mr. Mott is well-known and well-
liked by the members of the organization with whom he will
come in contact and his appointment will do much to set at
rest the minds of those who may have thought the corporation
was working towards centralized operation; Mr. Mott's ideas
as to maintaining the integrity of divisions and their oper-
ation are well-known to his associates.

In spite of the inconvenience of being away from his home
in Flint so much of each week, Mott enjoyed the activities of
his Detroit job. There was concentration on improving the
quality of Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Oakland. Mott was
working with the people he knew, on exactly the kinds of prob-
lems to which his engineering background, wide production
experience, and notable common sense could contribute most.
Where others became emotionally involved with one group or
cause, he remained calm, concentrating on the end products.

Flint, sharing the uncertainties of 1921, suffered unemploy-
ment, but by the end of the year production was going up again
in the factories. One of Flint's earliest giants of the vehicle
and automotive industry died in 1921: W. A. Paterson, who
had opened a carriage shop in Flint in 1869. Later, he had
84

manufactured carriages, and road carts made for Durant and
Dort, and, still later, Paterson automobiles. He had also been
one of the original stockholders and directors of the Buick
Motor Company. He, like Mott, had served as mayor of Flint.

Harry H. Bassett, who had replaced Chrysler as general
manager and president of Buick, was succeeding brilliantly
with the original keystone of General Motors; the abilities
Mott had recognized in him so many years before now found
full scope. Albert Champion, one of Mott's favorite people,
after a notable record in spark-plug production during the war,
was developing the AC Spark Plug Division into the largest
business of its kind in the world.

Mott has many pleasant memories of the colorful Cham-
pion, including the time that Champion came to Mott's office
in Detroit with the request for an appropriation to buy a small
piece of land on Dort Highway — part of the Dort property.
Mott asked if Champion wouldn't soon need the old Dort
building and the large section of land that went with it. Cham-
pion said that he would need it, but doubted that he could
get it. Mott said, "You couldn't unless you asked for it." Cham-
pion revised his request, and Mott secured approval from
Sloan on the whole purchase — the land where the enormous
AC plant now lies along Dort Highway on the east side of
Flint.

Mott has many interesting memories of the years in Detroit,
and a number of accomplishments to his credit. He is most
proud of having hired William S. Knudsen. Mott says, "In
some book it said that Knudsen went to Sloan and Sloan hired
him; well, that is not true. I take the credit for hiring Knudsen.
I had him about a month and then there was a break-up in the
Chevrolet organization and we needed a man to take care of
things so we put Knudsen in charge of that because he was
able "

Knudsen's effectiveness with Chevrolet, from March, 1922,
until he moved up to become executive vice-president of Gen-
eral Motors in 1933, made automotive history. Mott preserves
with pride a 1932 telegram from Knudsen on the tenth anni-

55

versary of the day on which Mott had hired him, February
23, 1922.

Among Mott's other accomplishments as chief of staff for
General Motors in Detroit were promotion of the use of ethyl
gasoline by General Motors men — and the use of Duco as
finish for General Motors cars. There was hesitation on the
part of General Motors men to use ethyl gasoline, although
it had been developed by General Motors research under the
direction of C F. Kettering. This reluctance was based on a
theory that ethyl gasoline burned up the valves of cars. There
was a garage for the use of General Motors executives in
Detroit, and Mott had all other motor fuels taken out except
ethyl gasoline — so the General Motors men used ethyl gasoline
and found that the rumor about its burning up valves was un-
true.

Mott also remembers a number of instances when he did
not get his ideas accepted:

I wanted to use common bodies, but I couldn't get that
across — also to use common doors. I promoted that and
failed but somebody else got it across later. I was responsible
for the Pontiac car. I said, "Here is a Chevrolet 4-cylinder.
Why can't we build a 6-cylinder at Pontiac, using the Chev-
rolet body, axles, and everything else, and have another out-
fit make it at a higher price?" Fisher Body was making the
bodies, so Red Fisher said, "Well, if you are going to get
more money for it, then it should have a bigger body." That
was against what I wanted to do. They built it and made all
special tools, since they didn't want the car to look like a
Chevrolet. Well, when at last they built the car, which I
named, and had it at the show in Lexington Avenue — on one
side was the Chevrolet, and on the other was the Pontiac, but
they had painted the two cars exactly the same and you would
have sworn it was the same body. I would have used the same
body, but painted the cars a different color.

Flint kept on growing through the twenties. Durant brought
his new company, Durant Motors, to Flint and manufactured
Flint and Star automobiles in the big plant he built in the south
86

end of the city. He also made a number of other cars but none
was able to hold a dominant position in public confidence.

At Buick, Bassett was highly successful, reaching produc-
tion above 200,000 cars in 1923. Bassett was also successful
in another way — in his dealings with the people who worked
for him at every level. His genuine concern for all employees
was not an expedient affectation, but a real and personal facet
of his nature— and the employees knew it.

Other General Motors developments of the period included
absorption of the Brown-Lipe-Chapin Company, of Syracuse,
N.Y. — and of Flint's Armstrong Spring Company. General
Motors also purchased and established the famous proving
ground near Milf ord — with a wide choice of terrain ideal for
giving cars grueling tests. There are two small lakes on the
proving ground, — a nice one, named for Sloan, and a small,
muddy one named for Mott — the latter being chiefly inhabited
by turtles. Flint's population kept on increasing, and the social
chaos increased proportionately — but few thought much about
it with the prosperity of the times.

The Secretary of War, John W. Weeks, appointed Mott as
civilian aide for Michigan; the special responsibilities of this
job included promotion of recruiting for the Citizens Military
Training Camp at Camp Custer. Mott was continued in this
appointment as civilian aide for Michigan to the Secretary of
War from 1924 until 1934.

It was rumored in 1924 that Mott was a candidate for the
Republican nomination for Governor of Michigan. This, Mott
denied flatly, stating, "I am neither a candidate nor have I
any intention of becoming a candidate this year.'9

The Motts had many good friends and a highly active social
life. Walter P. Chrysler was an especially close friend; Mott
was godfather to the four Chrysler children. He also kept up
his contacts with his Weston-Mott men and maintained a wide
circle of friendships.

The Mott children had enjoyed it when their father was
mayor because he brought home free passes to the movies for

87

them, which supplemented the strict allowance established to
teach them the value of money. Always very much aware of
the fact that a bit of success or prosperity, however achieved,
does not lift the possessor out of the human race, Mott took
all possible care to preserve his children from the infections
of snobbery as they grew up. He has always regarded himself
as just an "ordinary guy" who might be operating a New York
State farm except for the fact that his father moved to New
York City to sell the family farm products, and later invested
in the Weston-Mott Company. Mott's friendships include
people of every background. He has resisted by all means the
tendency of money to set a wall between himself and others.
His evaluation of people has been on the basis of personal
qualities rather than bank balances, and he has always wished
to be similarly considered by others. This concept — a funda-
mental belief in and practice of democracy in its most real
sense — he has consistently attempted to inculcate in his chil-
dren. In simplest terms, he has taught them that the fact they
happen to have more money than most people does not make
them better or different from anyone else; on the contrary, it
imposes special obligations.

Harding Mott has many vivid memories of his childhood:
his father's reading Kipling's Captains Courageous and other
stories aloud to the children — frequent horseback rides out
in the country with his father . . . many family trips including
visits to the Hardings and Mother Mott at Christmas and
summer visits at Seabright, New Jersey ... a family visit to
California in 1917 when both Aimee and Harding contracted
typhoid fever and had to stay for weeks in the Good Samaritan

Hospital in Los Angeles ... a family trip to Europe The

rewarding tradition of the close-knit family which Mott had
known as a boy carried over to his own family, and they did
things together as far as possible. In the summer, the children
usually went to some camp; Harding attended Boy Scout camp
and the state YMCA camp. Aimee and Elsa went to Camp
Aloha, Fairlee, Vermont.

After grade school, the girls attended the Emma Willard
88

School at Troy, New York, for four years; Aimee went on to
Vassar, Elsa to Smith. Harding went to Hotchkiss, then to
Antioch College (in which C. F. Kettering, Mott's close friend,
was deeply interested), then to Yale, where he majored in
industrial engineering at Sheffield Scientific School. Harding
also attended Citizens Military Training Camp at Camp Custer
at the age of seventeen. Harding Mott remembers that when
he was fourteen Kettering — whom his father always liked and
admired greatly — gave him his first airplane ride ... in a
biplane with an air-cooled motor, using ethyl gasoline.

One year, Mott rented a houseboat on the west coast of
Florida, and he and Mrs. Mott voyaged in the Ten Thousand
Islands area.

Mott liked hunting and fishing, and grew to enjoy golf and
tennis. He has always had a particular fondness for the West
— with Arizona as his favorite State. For years, he managed a
few weeks each winter at Jack Van Ryder's, at Camp Verde,
Arizona. Rough-country hunting and camping trips get away
from artificial standards rapidly — and back to the realities
of individual character, which is something Mott has always
cherished. Also, rugged cowboy life contributes greatly to
that physical fitness which Mott has always regarded as one
of the primary obligations of an intelligent and self-respecting
man. He has set his children an example in this regard — with
horseback riding, hunting, fishing, sailing, and other strenuous
activities. Mott set examples, too, on the cultural side — with
a deep and intelligent interest in music, art, and literature. His
special affection for the West is reflected in his Frederic Rem-
ington paintings and sculpture, and his impressive art collec-
tion also includes a wide range of excellent pictures.

In 1918, Mott secured two adjoining pieces of land between
Kearsley and Court Streets, and there established an estate
called Applewood, which has embodied and expressed many
of his interests and ideas. Buying 26 acres from Dort and 38
acres from Nash, Mott was able to create a somewhat remark-
able farm in the middle of Flint. His brother-in-law, Herbert
E. Davis, designed a splendid Tudor mansion, which was built

89

in 1918. A big barn was also built, and an impressive chicken
house — and for twenty-five years, Mott raised livestock as
well as maintaining large vegetable and flower gardens. The
family moved into this big new home in 1919. Mott had a
pipe organ built into the great living room, and many of the
fine paintings of his collection are also displayed there. Trees,
shrubs, and flowers have always been among Mott's interests,
as Applewood demonstrates. Growing up in New York City,
he had always yearned for the farm life his father had left —
and he attained his own version of it in Flint.

In June, 1924, the happy life of the Motts was broken by
tragedy. Mrs. Ethel Harding Mott, who had been in poor health
for some time, suffered a fatal accident. While the rest of the
family was at breakfast, Mrs. Mott fell from the window of her
bedroom in the second story of their home, sustaining injuries
from which she died a short time later. There are probably
few to whom family and home have meant quite so much as to
the Motts — and Mrs. Mott had been the central and presiding
grace of the lives of her husband and children. She was known
to her Flint friends for her gentleness, goodness, affection for
her family, and activities in many charitable organizations.

The unexpected and untimely death of his wife broke the
patterns of living Mott had worked for. He maintained Apple-
wood and continued to work in Detroit from Monday morn-
ings until Friday afternoons — but nothing was quite the same
for this man whose life was centered in his home. In 1925,.
Mott took his three children, accompanied by their aunt>
Mrs. E. A. Tauchert, and her son, on a European tour. After
that, the children were in college. For Mott, there was work,
plus hunting, fishing, and sailing trips. Within the next six
years, he made two attempts to re-establish the kind of home-
centered life which meant so much to him — the first being
ended by another untimely death, the second by divorce.
Not until 1934 was he to find the person with whom he was
once more able to develop the splendid family life which has
always been among his ideals.
90

NINE

After May 10, 1923 — the date Sloan became president of
General Motors — Mott and Sloan worked together more
closely than ever before. Sloan in New York and Mott in
Detroit made their special contributions to General Motors
through a period of solid development in which the trend of
the buying public demonstrated increasing confidence in Gen-
eral Motors products. Sloan and Mott lied and understood
one another; each was an engineer, with the habitual need to
get down to the facts of any situation; each had a very real
social conscience, too — a sense of clear-cut obligation to his
fellow men; each was capable of large vision, while not losing
sight of the very down-to-earth practical detail work necessary
to hammer vision into reality. They were explorers rather than
adventurers, working by carefully devised plans rather than
by inspiration.

In Adventures of a White Cottar Man, Sloan expressed the
satisfaction of this relationship: "I liked to work with Mott
His training had made him methodical. When he was con-
fronted with a problem, he tackled it as I did my own, with
engineering care to get the facts. Neither of us ever took any
pride in hunches. We left all the glory of that kind of thinking
to such men as like to be labeled 'genius/ We much preferred
the slow process of getting all the available facts, analyzing
them as completely as our experience and ability made pos-
sible, and then deciding our course.**

In Flint, employment dipped in 1920, with the postwar
depression, but came back by 1923 — the year Flint's popula-
tion hit 135,000. There was another drop in employment from
March to November, 1924 — but after that, rising employment
prevailed. At times the need for employees was so great that

91

advertising and recruiting programs were used to bring more
and more workers to Flint Highly skilled men were sometimes
difficult to find — and at one period there was an influx of ex-
cellent mechanics from the New England States, many of them
accustomed to small dies utilized in making watches and
similar small items, to whom the gigantic dies of the auto-
mobile industry were somewhat amazing.

A School of Trades had been started at the Flint YMCA in
1918 — sponsored by the Industrial Fellowship League and the
Flint Vehicle Workers Mutual Benefit Association. Under the
guidance of Albert Sobey, this school became the Flint Institute
of Technology in 1919, and ultimately developed into General
Motors Institute. Harry Bassett is credited with having inter-
ested General Motors in backing the school. The Flint Vehicle
Workers Mutual Benefit Association and the Industrial Fellow-
ship League evolved into the Industrial Mutual Association
(IMA), which developed both indoor and outdoor recrea-
tional programs for shop workers and their families.

At the time Sloan became president of General Motors,
B. C. Forbes had wanted more information about him, and
had turned to Mott as the logical source. In Automotive
Giants of America, which Forbes co-authored with O. D.
Foster, the sketch of Sloan includes these paragraphs:

When I wired one of Mr. Sloan's oldest and closest friends
and associates, C. S. Mott of Flint and Detroit, to specify some
of the qualities which had won Mr. Sloan such signal promo-
tion, he immediately telegraphed this illuniinating reply:

"Alfred Sloan is an indomitable worker; a systematic and
persistent organizer; a stickler for procedure; a crystallizer of
corporation policies for the benefit and protection of the cus-
tomer, the stockholder, and the members of the General
Motors organization. His many years of training and experi-
ence in shop work, followed by taking over sales and execu-
tive duties, combined with natural ability and an open mind,
make him an ideal man to direct the affairs of General Motors
Corporation. Sloan and I have been warm personal friends
92

ever since we started doing business together over twenty
years ago. The satisfaction derived from my personal relations
with him could not have been greater if he had been my own
brother. I think he inspires the same confidence in all with
whom he comes in close contact."

Mott's is one of the twenty pen portraits included in Auto-
motive Giants of America. The 18-page sketch of Mott is
highly perceptive. It begins:

Charles Stewart Mott is an example of a new type of citizen
America is producing. This new type is the brainy, busy, suc-
cessful businessman, willing, while still in the very prime of
life, to enter the stormy political arena and fill public office,
thereby necessitating the giving up, either partly or entirely,
of money-making pursuits.

Forbes secured from Mott a statement of the basis upon
which he had taken an active part in government.

We business men have been content for the most part
merely to rail at the doings and the misdeeds of those filling
public offices. We often talk sneeringly of this, that and the
next foolishness indulged in by the "politicians." But what have
most of us done to try to better matters? Not a thing.

Years ago I gave the subject of a citizen's responsibility
toward his community, towards his fellow men, very serious
thought, and I decided that I could not very well retain my
self-respect unless I were prepared to undertake such public
responsibility as others might wish to call upon me to under-
take. Here I was, comfortably situated financially, so that my
family would not suffer were I to withdraw from daily busi-
ness. I possessed robust health. I had enjoyed technical train-
ing as an engineer, fairly wide experience in the handling of
men, experience also in conducting rather large business af-
fairs, thus, presumably, fitting me to some extent at least for
dealing with many of the duties connected with administration
of civic and state affairs.

It was because I had reasoned things out in this way and
had reached a definite decision that it was incumbent upon

93

me, if I desired to retain in the fullest degree my self-respect,
to respond, when possible, to any call that might be made upon
me to discharge public duties, that I consented to become
mayor of my town years ago, when the people were clamoring
to be delivered from the unpleasant conditions brought about
by a Socialistic mayor.

It was in exactly the same spirit that I later consented to
allow my name to be put up at the primary as a candidate for
governor of the State. The fact that I did not head the poll
did not — could not — alter my caref ully-reasoned-out attitude
towards the shouldering of public responsibilities whenever
called upon to do so.

America has afforded me opportunity to make reasonable
headway in the world and to provide for my family. Why
should I not stand ready, like a loyal soldier — I served six
years in the Naval Militia and through the Spanish War in
the Navy — to take orders from my fellow-citizens and obey
any summons to serve my country in any capacity they might
consider me fit to undertake?

In comment, Forbes noted:

Outside of his own State and his own industry, Charles S.
Mott is not very widely known, largely because he is no seeker
after publicity, no courter of the limelight He is, and always
has been, a doer rather than a talker. His brain works better
than his tongue. He is not a glib orator. He is content to be
simply himself — an undemonstrative, serious-minded, hard-
working citizen, intent upon getting worthwhile things done
efficiently, smoothly, expeditiously, leaving the results to speak
for themselves.

Forbes also pointed out the importance of Mott's job in Gen-
eral Motors:

General Motors has its financial headquarters in New York,
but its operating activities center around Detroit, and other
parts of Michigan. C. S. Mott has always been high in the
operating councils of General Motors. It is to him that his
fellow-members of the executive committee look for unfailing
94

co-operation in guiding and directing the operations of the
various huge automobile and other plants that form General
Motors.

After a biographical sketch of Mott, and a resume of the
development of the Weston-Mott Company, Forbes stated:
"From a concern worth perhaps $100,000 when Mott joined
it in 1900, Weston-Mott had grown so rapidly and so soundly
that by 1913, it was worth fully $3,000,000 — a very substan-
tial return for thirteen years of intense application.'*

Explaining that he had "tried to get Mr. Mott to tefl how
a man can best cultivate executive qualities," Forbes con-
tinued:

But Mr. Mott is a poor talker about himself or his achieve-
ments. With much prodding, I did succeed in getting this
much out of him:

"The first consideration in business is to see to it that you
produce something for which there is a demand.

"The next thing is make the thing right, and the next — as
important as any — is to make the price right.

"You must exercise eternal vigilance in watching overhead.
Many little expenses run into a large sum in the end. Some
concerns concentrate almost wholly upon reducing production
costs and neglect selling costs. Economic distribution is just
as essential as economic production.

"Get facts. Never guess. Keep statistical records. Know
every month exactly what your business has done in all its de-
partments. Don't merely have these statistics compiled: study
them, analyze them, use them as a basis for your reasoning,
as a foundation for your vision of the future and your plan-
ning. Get down to the bedrock of things. Investigate things to
the bottom. Think things through.

"Devote careful attention to training other men to shoulder
and properly discharge responsibilities. When you get towards
the top, or to the top, organize yourself out of a job. Encour-
age your best co-workers to reach out for greater responsi-
bilities.

"Don't look over others' shoulders every moment of the

95

day to see what they are doing. Give them scope. Give them
latitude. Encourage them to think for themselves. Encourage
them to develop initiative. Don't pounce on them when they
make mistakes; sit down and reason things out with them so
that, while they won't make the same mistake again, they
won't be afraid to exercise originality again lest they might
make another mistake."

The Forbes interview also quoted Mott on another special
characteristic — one that has been influential in many ways
throughout his life — his sense of the importance of health,
and every man's responsibility to maintain his own good health
at best:

I am a great believer in keeping physically fit. I think this
is of tremendous importance for any man who is in earnest
about accomplishing the very most of which he is capable.

I go in for horseback riding, for farming, for hunting, for
fishing whenever I can contrive to find the time. But I don't
take vacations to do these things. I believe a man can keep
himself in better condition while working and sticking to his
job than when he goes away on a vacation and does nothing
else but pursue recreation and amusement and exercise. After
such a vacation, there comes a relapse. Instead of taking an
overdose of exercise for a week or two at a time and then
taking little or no real exercise for weeks or months at a
stretch, it is better, I believe, to stick right to one's job and
squeeze in a rational amount of exercise and recreation right
along. This keeps the muscles as well as the mind in condition
regularly. It flattens out the health curve, so to speak, instead
of sending it away up one week then letting it slump.

In this interview, Forbes also commented on one of the
paradoxical features of Mott:

I have already recorded that Mr. Mott isn't of the "regular
fellow," "good mixer" type. Indeed, he gives strangers the
impression of being rather austere, unbending, even cold. Yet
I discovered, in the course of my investigation, that Mr. Mott,
as one of his intimates put it, "has a heart as big as an ox."
96

He gives a great deal of money to the Flint YMCA (of which
he has been president) , to community chests, to the church,
to philanthropic societies, and to other worthy or public pur-
poses. But he does it so quietly that few people catch a glimpse
of this side of his character.

We are indebted to B. C. Forbes for this portrait of Mott
at the age of fifty-one, during his most active years as a busi-
ness executive guiding the destinies of General Motors opera-
tions as chief of staff in the Detroit office. There have been
many interviews with Mott, many stories written about him
and his activities, but none other has caught so much of the
quality of the man himself, or embodied such clear statements
of the basic principles by which he has worked and lived.

In 1926, Mott took a step from which great strides in com-
munity development would come. That step was the formal
establishment of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The factors leading to this action were several. Mott re-
membered the complexities of settlement of his father's estate,
and had a strong belief that each man should take great care
in providing in advance for the wise and efficient administra-
tion of his affairs after his death. The idea of establishing a
foundation was suggested to Mott by a General Motors attor-
ney who had drawn up the necessary documentation to set up
a foundation for the owner of a group of cigar stores. Here
was an engineer's kind of planning for the future, a way of
organizing his help to the community and making it business-
like— taking as much care in the spending of his money as he
had devoted to earning it.

The very real encouragement offered by the income tax
laws also indicated to Mott that the Government encouraged
private giving — and, with his strong sense of responsible and
personal administration of any business, he has always felt
that he could make sure of getting the greatest value for people
by carrying out his own program of help to the community.

Mott had already, over a period of years, demonstrated
his strong desire to help others; he had given an important

97

building to Flint's Hurley Hospital, a farm for the use of the
children of Flint, land across from his home for use as a park.
He had been a major factor in the establishment and success
of the YMCA and the Boy Scouts in Flint His efforts and
funds, with the help of Dr. DeKleine and the Flint School
Board had initiated a dental and medical clinic for Flint school
children. He had contributed generously and regularly to other
community endeavors, and had taken special interest in boys'
club work and the Kiwanis Health Camp while in Detroit.
Actually, his services as mayor were another kind of gift to
the community. An item from the diary Mott has maintained
for a number of years gives a clear and simple statement of the
origin of the Foundation:

As the years went on, with less demand for time from busi-
ness, and with greater realization of my responsibilities to
society, and observing how many well-intended ideas and
plans went astray after a man's death, when he provided funds
in his wfll and left the execution of same to trustees, untrained
and unfamiliar with his policies, I caused to be incorporated
in 1926 under the laws of the State of Michigan, the Charles
Stewart Mott Foundation, with a broad charter to carry on
philanthropic, charitable, and educational work, with six Trus-
tees, the principal one of which was my old and trusted friend
Roy E. Brownell whose ideals were identical with my own.

The idea was to get started and in operation worthy projects
and the Trustees familiar with the work during my lifetime,
instead of leaving funds and hoping that satisfactory results
might be forthcoming after my passing — a hope which was not
forthcoming in many instances I had observed in the case of
those who left the job to be started after death.

The original trustees, in addition to Mott himself, were his
three children, Aimee Mott Butler, Elsa B. Mott, C. S. Harding
Mott — along with Roy E. Brownell, Mott's attorney as well as
his close friend for many years, and Edward E. MacCrone of
Detroit. The first officers were: president and treasurer, C. S.
Mott; vice-president, ElsaB. Mott; secretary, Roy E. Brownell.
98

Mott's initial gift to the Foundation was 2,000 shares of
General Motors stock, valued at $160 a share at that time.
Since then its assets have increased steadily through annual
gifts from Mott and the members of his family.

Thus, in terms of funds, the power plant was being built —
but not for nine years was it to be hitched to the great vehicle
for which it has since become internationally known. For the
first few years after 1926, the Foundation furnished financial
support to a number of projects including: The Flint Rotary
Club's Crippled Children's Program, Kiwanis Health Camp,
Lions Club Sight-Saving Program, Flint Community Fund,
United Service Organizations, America Red Cross, Flint In-
stitute of Arts, an underprivileged boys' camp near Flint,
various local churches, and several colleges and universities.
The Foundation did not in itself undertake any single major
project or program during this period. But as the depression
settled over Flint, with spreading waves of social disintegra-
tion, Mott became increasingly interested in the problems of
children and young people of Flint. And in 1935, the engine
and the vehicle were to be joined to become the Mott Founda-
tion Program the world knows about today.

99

TEN

It was in 1929 that Mott's banking activities proved rather
expensive to him. Mott had been president of Union Industrial
Bank, then had become chairman of the board of directors.
Less than a year after the Union Industrial Bank had become
part of the Guardian Group, it was discovered that a group of
employees of the bank had been playing the market and had
embezzled some $3,593,000 from the bank. Mott recalls:

I was in Detroit and was called on the phone in the after-
noon and told that there had been some financial trouble in
the Union Industrial Bank, and that there had been an em-
bezzlement by some of the employees. I had to get in my car
and hustle up to Flint, getting there in the early evening. I
remember that there was a meeting of the directors which
lasted until about four or five o'clock in the morning. The
stock in the bank was then owned by the Guardian Group,
and at the invitation of the directors and managers of the
Guardian Group, I put up securities of about a million dollars
to make a loan to make good on the embezzlement — and that
continued from time to time and increased until it got to be
over three million dollars. In the final analysis about two mil-
lion dollars was lost. There were a number of other stock-
holders who had a meeting, and they undertook to make
pledges to pay a certain amount depending on the stock they
had— but I had first to loan, next the directors helped me out.
Then they had a meeting of the stockholders and they helped
the others out When the whole thing sifted out, I think it cost
me about one and a quarter million dollars.

Newspapers all around the country carried the story— and
amazement seemed to be about equaUy divided between the
size of the embezzlement (said to be the largest in the history
100

of the country) — and the fact that one man, Mott, had pro-
vided funds to cover the loss.

It was, of course, the market crash which had brought the
loss to light — since the bank employees were notably unsuc-
cessful in their stock speculations with the bank's money. The
Literary Digest of December 7, 1929, carried the story of the
affair, quoting various newspapers and presenting a picture
of Mott. The Detroit News said, "Out of the strange situation
at Flint, Mr. Mott emerges as a hero."

Later one stockholder brought suit against Mott, the Guard-
ian Detroit Union Group, Inc., the Guardian National Bank
of Commerce, and the Union Industrial Trust and Savings
Bank — to recover some $27,000 which the stockholder had
paid as an assessment on stock owned. The claim was that
Mott should have been able to detect or forestall the defalca-
tions if he had attended the directors meetings regularly. The
case was dismissed, and Mott was absolved of blame — the
point being made by the court that the directors who had at-
tended the meetings regularly were unable to forestall the
defalcations, and that the bank examiners could not discover
them.

General Motors and Flint shared the accelerated production
of 1928 and 1929. In those two years together, General Motors
sold some 10 million units for more than $7 billion. Chevrolet
alone produced 1% million cars and trucks in 1929. And then,
of course, came the difficult times. The depression was devas-
tating everywhere but perhaps most painful of all in such
cities as Flint, which had almost always been known for its
prosperity. To the people who had come from everywhere
for Flint* s big wages, it was as if golden streets had turned to
lead. These workers with such diverse backgrounds had pos-
sessed nothing in common except their source of income; when
that failed, only their differences remained.

For Mott, the career of William S. Knudsen increasingly
gave reason for pride in having hired him. First as vice-presi-
dent of Chevrolet and then — from January 24, 1924 — as

101

president Knudsen made tremendous contributions in the ex-
pansion and development of the Chevrolet Division to its
leading position as the volume manufacturer of cars. Begin-
ning April 1, 1932, Knudsen was also in charge of Pontiac
production. On February 23, 1932, Knudsen wired Mott at
Jack Van Ryder's, Camp Verde, Arizona:

TEN YEARS AGO TODAY DUE TO YOUR KIND OFFICES I WENT
TO WORK FOR THE CORPORATION. WILL YOU PERMIT ME TO
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR KINDNESS?

WILLIAM S. KNUDSEN

On October 16, 1933, Knudsen was made an executive vice-
president of General Motors as general supervisor of car and
body manufacturing. This brought an even closer relationship
between him and Mott.

Although the strong development of Knudsen fitted in with
Mott's principle to "organize himself out of a job" by helping
bring up strong leadership within General Motors, Mott still
carried vital responsibilities in 1934, and still spent a good
portion of the week at the General Motors Building in Detroit,
remaining a vice-president until 1937.

Among Mott's consistent loyalties has been that toward
public service, both through an active interest in public and
political affairs, and through agencies devoted to social serv-
ice. Through backing boys' club work in Detroit, Mott had
purchased and established a summer camp for underprivileged
boys at Pero Lake, northeast of Flint. At first this camp was
operated by the Vortex Club of Detroit; later, Floyd Adams
operated the camp as a Mott Foundation activity.

The 185-acre farm south of Flint that Mott had originally
purchased to be operated by a church men's club as a summer
camp for Flint children later reverted to Mott, and he gave it,
along with additionally purchased land, to the Flint YMCA,
as Camp Copneconic.

A year of vital transition in Mott's life was 1934. By that
time, his three children were married and away from home.
102

Mott continued at Applewood, and had an active circle of
friends with whom he spent much time in Flint: Roy Brownell,
the William Masons, Mrs. Nell Medberry, Taine McDougal,
Willis Thorne, the H. H. Curtice family, the James Burroughs
family, and others. Tennis had become an almost daily activity
in good weather, and there were the grounds and the livestock
at Applewood to hold his interest.

From the time of the Union Industrial Bank difficulties in
1929, Mott had been involved in a number of legal actions.
One included appearing in 1934 before a Washington investi-
gating committee concerned with the affairs of the Guardian
Group. His attorney and friend, Roy Brownell, accompanied
Mott on the trip to Washington. Ferdinand Pecora was con-
ducting the questioning. Mott's diary, under date of January
17, 1934, notes: "After being sworn in by Senator Fletcher,
I was asked by Pecora what my principal business was. I estab-
lished it as, 'defendant of law suits, etc/ Then he questioned
me regarding sale of a large block of Guardian Group stock
to Harry Covington, and I gave full reasons and explanation
of the transaction — bringing in the excellent work done by
Covington and his advancement in the organization."

The next day, Mott was recalled for another hour and a
half. He notes in his diary for January 18:

I was not badly treated but was asked many leading and
searching questions regarding sale of stock to Covington, and
some other matters relating to Group, and also re: Union
Industrial Bank defalcation and payments thereon. I probably
overlooked some opportunities for making record, but did
inject some things that were not intended by Pecora. It was
somewhat difficult at times, but I was not razzed and did not
feel nervous, and I think the record is all right, though of
course future events may prove to the contrary.

While he was in Washington, Mott visited the Senate, House
of Representatives, and Supreme Court. Just as he was check-
ing out at his hotel, ready to return to Flint, he encountered
Pecora in the hotel lobby. Mott told Pecora he had nothing of

103

which to complain. Pecora grinned, shook hands, and wished
Mott a pleasant journey. In the following weeks, Mott was
widely congratulated in Detroit and Flint for his statements
before the investigating committee.

Returning to Applewood, Mott was taken aback by the
amount of paperwork awaiting him in connection with other
legal actions, tax matters, and similar affairs. He notes in his
diary for January 20, 1934:

No end of work to be done. Of all the damn-fool footless
things — with lawsuits, attacks, hearings, reports, etc., the
amount of work to be done is terrific, and it has to be done
if I am to get a show for my white alley. And when it's all
done, it is simply to keep me from "paying through the nose,"
being mulcted, going to jail, or what not. It doesn't put me
ahead a foot but just wears me out and makes me ill-tempered
and damning everything in general — especially an army of
sharpers and shysters in the Government and out. If I have
left a particle of faith in humanity, patriotism, or public spirit,
it will be a miracle. As soon as I can get things off my neck
and postponed for a few months, I'll try to go West, for the
benefit of my friends in the East if for no other reason.

On the next day, Sunday, January 21, 1934, his diary nota-
tions include: "Walked around the place for an hour. The
horses seemed glad to see me, but that was because they ex-
pected sugar, which I brought them." (This may very well
be the most cynical recorded statement of a man who has been
anything but cynical in his attitudes.)

The next day, Mott's diary notes, "... it was quite apparent
that local Income Tax Inspector and Reviewer were deter-
mined to make life a nightmare to me. Among other things,
they were going to annihilate my Foundation." Mott presented
full facts and figures, asking no favors, but determined to
secure justice "based on the law."

A day later, January 23, 1934, the diary notes include:

. . . stopped in to see Ket and ask him regarding progress
on Diesel engines for ships, boats, locomotives, individual
104

railway cars, trucks, and aircraft; also, developments of anti-
knock fuel, variable transmissions, automobile springing, aero-
dynamic designs, and other things, and never before has it
appeared that there was any greater opportunity for tremen-
dous changes, developments, and improvements (all of which
are in progress at the Research Laboratory) than at this mo-
ment. The amount of confidence in the future of General
Motors gained by such a conversation with Ket is almost be-
yond comprehension and, as you know, I am not much given
to exaggeration.

Prom the middle of February until the first of May, Mott
made one of the Western trips he enjoyed so much, including
some rough-country travel. He also visited the home of a
cousin, Sarah Mott Rawlings, wife of Dr. Junius A. Rawlings,
of El Paso, Texas. Enjoying his stay with the family, Mott
found himself particularly happy in the company of one of
the daughters, Ruth Rawlings, whom he mentioned more and
more frequently in his daily journal.

On October 13, 1934, Charles Stewart Mott and Ruth
Rawlings were married in St. Clement's Church Chapel in El
Paso, Texas. Mott reported the happy wedding day very fully
in his diary in such terms as this: "The Bride was on the arm
of her father, and as she came down the aisle, tall and stately
and like the Elsa of Lohengrin, the waiting Bridegroom turned
toward her, and she looked at him, and he was nearly over-
come with emotion."

After a leisurely and greatly enjoyed trip to Hawaii, the
Motts returned to El Paso November 15, and to Flint Novem-
ber 27. Mrs. Mott shared her husband's wide-ranging interests,
and brought new enthusiasms of her own — and Applewood
blossomed afresh in hospitality and happy life.

Mott still carried his responsibilities as General Motors
vice-president, along with a diversified program of interests —
including his banking activities, his investments in the sugar
industry, and his other industrial occupations. His own per-
sonal staff at this time included Roy Brownell as attorney,

705

John Getz as a financial secretary, Miss Ruth Dill as secretary
in Detroit, and Miss Ellen Rubel as secretary in Flint. In
addition to handling his own affairs and those associated with
the Mott Foundation, Mott acted as financial advisor and agent
for his children and their families as well as for his sister and
her children. Each of Motf s three children had presented him
with grandchildren — and the first child of his son, C. S. Har-
ding Mott, was also named Charles Stewart — so that Mott
referred to him frequently and affectionately in his diary as

Mott has always had a tremendous zest for living, and in
1935 it was intensified to new levels as he introduced Mrs.
Mott to his far-flung world of interests. Her delight with every-
thing, and the evident approval with which she was accepted
by his Mends and associates, were additional elements of
pleasure and pride to Mott Mrs. Mott had been active in
Junior League work for years, and she took an enthusiastic
interest in the workings of the Mott Foundation — as she did
in all the varied fields with which Mott was concerned.

The Motts took a Western trip in the spring of 1935, and
Mott gave his wife an introduction to the Arizona country he
had come to enjoy so much. Back home in Flint early in May,
Mott resumed his busy round of activities in Detroit and Flint.
His diary for May 16, 1935 (in which Mrs. Mott is mentioned
as "C.R.") indicates his great interest in the camp for boys:

Roy Brownell arrived for lunch and immediately after-
wards, he, C.R., and I drove over to Mott Camp for Boys,
on Pero Lake 18 miles from here, where we looked over
progress of work in preparation for our summer camp. The
kitchen has been moved to its new site; new dining hall-
auditorium is nearly completed, with fine chimney and fire-
place. A new well has been put in about 220 feet deep and
wfll be operated by electric automatic Delco pump. Wires for
electricity are being run from main line a few hundred yards
away, so there will be electricity not only for pumping, but
for electric ice boxes and lights.

We have delivery of a fine new Chevrolet truck with C.C.C.
106

steel body, which is just a dandy thing for our work, not only
during construction but also to cany supplies. It also has seats
for bringing the boys over from town. Garages are being built
under the dining room. We are putting up another building
with three small hospital rooms for our camp Doctor. Later
we may put up another small building in suitable location,
which we will call the Administration Building, for the camp
Director, from which point he can keep an eye on all of the
activities. These are the only buildings that will be used. The
boys will be housed two in a tent which will have wooden
floors and cots, which experience has proved the most satis-
factory arrangement, both for the boys and for operation.

We are also changing the landscape slightly by removing the
knob of one hill, filling in and leveling a large athletic field
where the boys will have their sports. We are also developing
a fine swimming dock, providing ample safety and supervision
for the youngsters. Altogether, the place is showing a lot of
activity and improvement.

We have had a list of some 800 suitable boys prepared by
the city school principals. These boys are from 10 to 14 years
of age, and from families which are utterly unable to bear any
expense or provide such outings for the boys. As it looks now,
we expect to be able to take care of between 400 and 500 of
these boys this summer. There will be about 80 boys at a time
in camp covering two-week periods. Our personnel organiza-
tion is all arranged for, and it looks as though the project will
go through in good shape.

Roy Brownell, one of our Trustees, is very much interested,
and puts a lot of time and thought on it C.R. is very enthusi-
astic and expects to make frequent trips out to see the camp
this summer.

There are many other references to the camp in subsequent
diary entries; capacity was increased to over 100 boys instead
of 80 in each group before the season began. Floyd Adams,
who was operating the camp for Mott, worked very hard
perfecting tie establishment. On his sixtieth birthday, June
2, 1935, Mott visited the camp; his diary for that day reflects
pleasure and pride in the many improvements.

On June 21, 1935, Mott's diary records his attending a

107

Rotary Club meeting at which Frank J. Manley, supervisor of
physical education for Flint public schools, was the speaker.
Four days later Mott reports a visit from Manley — which
ended in a tennis game with Mott and Manley playing against
Mr. and Mrs. James Burroughs. Thereafter, Manley's name
is found frequently in Mott's 1935 diary. A long July 25 entry
demonstrates the personal interest and concern Mott felt for
the boys attending Mott Camp:

At 5:00, Hoyd Adams picked me up and took me out to
the Boys' Camp. We made inspection of the place. At 6:00,
bugle sounded for assembly and the boys assembled in groups
of their tribes around the base of the hill on which the flags
were located. The staff were on the hill in front of the adminis-
tration building. The boys were called to attention and the
leaders checked them in their tribes, examined their hands
for cleanliness; later each leader reported members of tribe all
present and accounted for, and the boys were called to raise
their hands in salute to the flag while Colors were being blown
on the bugle and all the flags in the camp were simultaneously
lowered. When this ceremony was over, the boys marched up
to the mess hall for supper.

I was called on for a little talk, and afterwards I think every
boy in the place came up and shook hands with me. They
seemed to be a mighty nice lot of kids and extremely appreci-
ative. This is rather noteworthy in view of the fact that the
families from which these boys come are probably below
average, the parents being least educated and informed, uncul-
tured and ignorant, not giving their children proper training
nor care. In fact, sometimes we think the parents of these boys
need training more than the boys do. These boys are not at
all used to restraint or control. In a camp of over 100 boys
it is necessary to have control for their own welfare and safety,
and this is not accomplished by strict discipline or punishment
but entirely by leadership and confidence in the leaders en-
gendered in the boys. I think a good job of this is being
done. . . .

Of course this is the first year that we have operated this
large camp, which is running about 115 boys. Our organiza-
108

tion, staff, etc., is more or less newly put together. . . . Next
year we hope to have the whole proposition running like clock-
work. I forgot to say that when I made my talk to the boys,
I told them that C.R. was very regretful that she could not
have been present, and that she had sent best wishes and
kind regards to all of the boys, and especially to those whom
she had met in their homes

Often in his diary, Mott expresses his enthusiastic approval
of Harlow H. Curtice both as a friend and as an executive.
The September 25, 1935, entry records Mott's attending a
Buick appreciation banquet given in honor of Curtice that
evening, at which speakers included Sloan, Knudsen, and
other major figures in General Motors — with that automotive
pioneer, A. B. C. Hardy, as chairman of the affair, and Flint
Journal editor, Michael Gorman, as toastmaster. Motf s diary
notes, "My personal feeling is that Curtice and his associates
have done a marvelous job, and no honor or recognition can
be in excess of what they deserve." The next day, Mott felt
that the tributes to Curtice "did not quite ring the bell, due to
absence of a strong and direct statement," so he undertook to
write such a statement — and showed it to Gorman. Gorman
asked Mott for a copy, and on September 27, 1935, the follow-
ing story appeared in the Journal along with pictures of Curtice
and Mott

TRIBUTE PAID CURTICE IN SPEECH THAT WASN'T MADE

So enthusiastic was the spirit of Wednesday night's appre-
ciation dinner for Buick and the crowd included so many the
audience would have been glad to hear, that no doubt a very
interesting volume would be a collection of speeches which
might have been made.

Charles S. Mott, vice-president of General Motors, a di-
rector and member of the Finance Committee, was confronted
with this thought and "the speech I might have made" was
obtained from him. "I would have directed my remarks to
Harlow H. Curtice, President of Buick, and it would have
been something like this," he said:

"We, your friends and neighbors, as citizens of Flint are

109

gathered here tonight to honor you and through you your
organization who have done so much for us.

"This hall is large and it is filled. It would have to be many
times as large to hold all of your admirers and those whom
you have benefited.

"Some of us are stockholders of General Motors, some are
merchants, professionals, and others of all walks of life. But
all of us are your friends and all of us are benefited directly
or indirectly by your excellent management of the Buick Di-
vision and your interest and participation in matters of civic
interest.

"And we are here to acknowledge that debt and to express
to you our gratitude.

"We have listened with interest to Mr. Sloan who says we
are now out of the depression and on our way to prosperity.
We sincerely hope he is right and know you are doing your
best to make this a fact.

"We are always glad to hear from Mr. Knudsen — than
whom the working man has no more sincere a friend — his
attitude towards labor and a fair deal is an inspiration to us
all. And we know of no one who will work harder to put his
ideas into effect than yourself.

"You have just completed the presentation of your new
line of Buicks, which carry all of the merits of past years plus.
These new cars have the maximum beauty, performance, and
satisfaction that has ever been put into a line of automobiles,
and the only persons who will suffer thereby are your com-
petitors and Buick service men.

"We know that you could not have done this alone. We
know that you have had to have the earnest assistance and
co-operation of your associates, engineering and manufactur-
ing departments and Fisher organization, and we want them
to know that we understand and appreciate it. But every busi-
ness has to have a head, to sort the wheat from the chaff, to
hold up a standard to work to, and to make decisions of
prime importance. You are head of the Buick and you have
done all three things, and we are here to tell you of our ap-
preciation and friendship. We are glad to be your friends."

C S. Mott
110

Thus Mott gave public affirmation of his respect and admi-
ration for Curtice — and showed once more his abiding loyalty
to Sloan and Knudsen also, and to General Motors. There
are many definitions of the functions of the head of a business
— but perhaps none was ever simpler, clearer, or more genu-
inely inclusive than Mott's ". . . to sort the wheat from the chaff,
to hold up a standard to work to, and to make decisions of
prime importance." Over the years, at Buick and as president
of General Motors, Curtice continued to hold Mott's respect,
admiration, and friendship. Mott once mentioned Nash and
Curtice as the two men with the greatest gift for common
sense he had ever known.

While Mott's interests and activities in behalf of Flint were
broadening and intensifying, his personal plans widened also.
After he and Mrs. Mott had visited Bermuda in January, they
had decided to buy Parapet, a 9-acre Bermuda estate with a
fine house and two smaller dwellings. The estate includes about
1,000 feet on Hamilton Harbor. The Motts spent the last days
of October, all of November, and the first few days of Decem-
ber, 1935, at Parapet — enjoying everything hugely.

Mott immediately undertook many repaks and improve-
ments for Parapet — correcting some faulty electrical wiring
himself, and engaging carpenters, plumbers, gardeners, elec-
tricians, and an architect to follow out his plans. There were
tennis, bicycling, and pleasant times with Mott's sister, Edith,
and her husband, Herbert Davis, living not far away.

Returning to Flint early in December, Mott plunged Imme-
diately into the complex patterns of interests and activities in
Detroit and Flint. His diary for Monday, December 16, 1935,
notes: "Frank Manley came up and made a very complete
report on his recreational work, on which he is doing a mag-
nificent job." This concerns aspects of Mott's 1935 activities
not yet detailed, and which deserve being set forth here in
closer view and from another perspective in the pages to follow.

Ill

ELEVEN

To quote from the introduction of this book: "When a man
believes that nothing else is important, really, except people,
how can he implement his belief effectively?"

In a broad sense, the deeply satisfying answer to that ques-
tion was demonstrated to Mott by one man, Frank J. Manley,
whose life has been dedicated to the ideal of giving men,
women, and children the greatest possible opportunity to
develop. This ideal was identical with Mott's own; the differ-
ence was that Manley — bruising his head against official
obstacles, and his heart against human suffering, during Flint's
depression years — had worked out a definite means of carry-
ing the ideal into actual practice. His impulsive trial-and-error
experience in attempting to help young people in those diffi-
cult times had given Manley a blueprint for action. But action
on a scale large enough to be truly helpful to the obvious needs
of the community called for funds far beyond any Manley
had been able to secure. When Mott found that he and Manley
shared a common ideal, and that Manley had a practical plan
of attack on the devastating waste of human lives character-
istic of depression living, the Mott Foundation in its present
form had its real beginning.

Like Mott, Manley came to Flint from New York State, but
his early years and his path to Flint were very different from
Mott's. Manley grew up in Herkimer, New York — and the
automobile affected his family's income situation adversely.
Manley has made references to his early days, and his first
years in Flint, in the course of various talks he has made and
in written notes. From these sources, in Manley's own words,
is drawn the following account of the background and the
factors which lead to the Mott-Manley combination that cre-
ated the Mott Foundation as we know it today.
112

My father had a livery stable. Automobiles were coming
into being more and more, and the livery stable business was
going out. We couldn't hire any help in this livery stable, so
I stayed at the barn and hung around there driving hacks
during the first influenza epidemic in World War I. I started
skipping school, and my father didn't care a whole lot. He
didn't seem to care too much about formal education anyway.
My mother had died years before, when I was ten.

In the ninth grade, I quit school altogether. I didn't get
much urging to finish school except from my sisters, who were
a little older than I was — and from the fellows at the pool-
room. So it was the boys at the poolroom who were my edu-
cational counselors and vocational guidance directors. They
wanted to have a good football team — and I played a pretty
rugged brand of ball in those days — so they got me to go
back to school.

I went back to school to play football — and, after that,
basketball and baseball. I had to keep up passing grades in
my school subjects to be eligible for sports. After four years
of keeping eligible in order to play, they stopped my high
school athletic career by graduating me. With that experience,
it's no wonder I picked up the idea that participation in ath-
letics was not only the way to keep out of trouble, but also the
motive for getting an education.

In fact, I believed that athletic participation was a sort of
saving grace for all mankind. Athletics beckoned me on to
college, too — and I came to Michigan State Normal College
in Ypsilanti, where I continued with sports and physical edu-
cation.

From 1923 to 1927, I had the privilege of learning from
Professor Wilbur P. Bowen, the greatest physical educator
I've ever known. He not only believed in the importance of
athletics and group recreation — he believed that they provided
the key to good living, and that all community facilities should
be made available for people to use for such activities. He
felt that when people have a chance to express themselves in
athletics and recreation, their tendency to do the right thing is
improved for their whole lives. He was preaching a doctrine
that my own experience verified, and I was — and still am —

113

inspired by his ideas. One of Ms specific ideas was keeping
school buildings open around the clock, around the year, for
public use in recreation programs open to everyone.

And, from Professor Charles M. Elliot, head of the Special
Education Department at Michigan State Normal College, I
derived another fundamental idea: every person is an indi-
vidual and is to be treated as such. This includes the fact that
you don't treat anyone as being a Catholic, or Jew, or Gentile,
or Negro, or capitalist, or laborer — but only as a separate, in-
dividual human being to be respected and valued for himself.
After being graduated from college in 1927, 1 came to Flint
as a physical education instructor in the fall — and the most
important things I brought with me were those two beliefs. I
came to Flint with the idea of practicing those two things:
treating everyone as an individual, and using all the resources
of the community for the people through recreation and ath-
letics. At least I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I had enthusiasm and energy. I was teaching at Central
and at Whittier, and directing the physical education program
in the elementary schools. In 1928, I became supervisor of
physical education for all Flint Public Schools.

One day, the principal at Martin School told me they were

having trouble with a group of boys who were skipping classes

and accomplishing nothing when they did come to class. I

said, "Let's form a Sportsmen's Club. I'll come out noon

hours." We started with fifteen boys, and the group built up

to thirty. I'd go out three noon hours a week and put on a

basketball suit, and those kids would maul the daylights out

of me. Then we'd have a business meeting, which consisted of

my saying, "Give me the reports from your teachers. I want

to know how you're doing." The reports got better all the

time — and so did the boys. Some of those boys had already

been in trouble with the courts — but they all turned out mighty

well. I wasn't a social worker; I just knew that if you paid

some attention to them — and gave them a chance at athletics

— it would straighten them out Later I came to understand

that it wasn't athletics as such — but the personal attention

that really mattered. I started two other Sportsmen's Clubs at

other schools, and wanted to spread this kind of plan all over

114

Flint — but the Board of Education could find no money for it.

All those fine school buildings — which, after all, belonged
to the people — were closed in the afternoon at 4 o'clock, and
no efforts of mine could get them opened for use after that
hour. All the people in authority listened to my story, but
there was always a reason they couldn't do anything about it.

I started trying in 1927, in the boom days, and kept right
on trying into the depression days when things were mighty
rough in Flint. People were shaking their heads about the
ever-increasing juvenile delinquency.

We had all kinds of traffic accidents, too, especially involv-
ing children, for lack of sufficient playgrounds and playground
supervision. We had many drownings in the Flint River and
other local swimming places as kids found (heir own recre-
ation. I saw all these things happening — and, believing in ath-
letics as I did, and the use of community buildings and re-
sources for public participation, I thought I had the answers
to all this tragic waste of human life, but I couldn't seem to
convince anyone in a position of authority.

I went out on calls with members of the Flint Police De-
partment. I saw what life was like on the wrong side of the
tracks in Flint. I couldn't help feeling most people would do
(he right things instead of (he wrong things if (hey had a
chance; I wanted to give (hem that chance, but I couldn't
make any headway. It seemed to me that the men in charge
of things were wearing blinders, or didn't really want to see
what life was like for most folks in Flint. They'd listen while
I talked, but it seemed they didn't really hear what I said be-
cause they didn't do anything about it.

I went to probate court every Saturday morning, and before
long I had a list of ninety fellows on probation to me — boys
who were really in trouble, and who otherwise would have
been sentenced to the Boys' Vocational School at Lansing.
I'm not sure I knew what I was doing, but I was trying. I
worked with those kids. Maybe I learned a lot more from
(hem (han they learned from me. I found (hat a little love —
a little personal attention — and really treating (hem as indi-
viduals went a long way with (hose boys. I tried to get them
organized into a club, and got a few other fellows who felt

115

as I did to take an interest in them. But as far as making
progress with my major idea of public recreation and athletic
programs using public facilities, I still was getting nowhere.

Chris Addison, who was in charge of traffic safety for the
Flint Police Department, teamed up with me to see if we could
do something about safety and juvenile delinquency, working
through the PTAs and Child Study Clubs. Chris gave more
than 1,400 talks in one year, speaking in every schoolroom
in Flint. I don't know how many groups I spoke to. We would
try to get to these people with actual cases — not naming names,
but telling the real circumstances of juvenile crime, drownings,
traffic accidents, and the other ills threatening Flint's young
people. We did strike sparks of response among these groups,
and win loyal friends for what we were trying to accomplish.

Flint's PTAs were strong and active even in those days, and
they were deeply interested in the problems, and possible
solutions to those problems, which we presented as dramati-
cally as we could to their groups — but even their interest did
not make the schools available for use to the public.

A Recreation Council was formed, with all Flint agencies
concerned with recreation represented: the City Recreation
Department, Junior League, YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, Industrial Mutual Association, and others. I was
named first chairman of this council, and each agency was to
make what contribution it could, within its appropriate area
of service, to a co-ordinated recreation program for Flint.
This Recreation Council sponsored our first leadership train-
ing institute, meeting twice a week, with volunteer adults
training high school students in arts and crafts, group games,
and techniques of organizing and supervising groups of small
children.

At this time, we had also initiated an intramural sports
program in the schools for greater participation than the "var-
sity" sports permitted, and had expanded the Sportsmen's
Clubs.

At last, with the backing of Parent-Teacher groups and
other agencies, we looked forward to a real summer play-
ground and recreation program in 1933.

Our summer program was successful within its limitations,
116

but when school opened again I still had the sense of failure.
The school doors were still locked at 4 o'clock, shutting away
those rooms, gymnasiums, shops, and other facilities from the
public that needed them so greatly.

By the summer of 1934, there was help from a new source
— the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Works Prog-
ress Administration, and National Youth Administration.

In the summer of 1934, Flint had forty backyard play-
grounds, twenty-four school playgrounds, and fifteen City
Park and Recreation Department playgrounds in operation.
Children took full and happy advantage of these playgrounds,
and the accident figures for children dropped to half the 1933
figure. Hundreds of Softball teams were organized. That 1934
program demonstrated the greatness of Flint's need, and the
good response people would make to such a program when
given the opportunity. We planned an even bigger program
for the summer of 1935.

Such a demonstration was proof of the need for a year-
around program, open to everyone, utilizing the school build-
ings and facilities. I continued my speaking campaign, talking
to every group that would listen to me.

In June, 1935, 1 got myself invited to speak at the Rotary
Club, along with the other luncheon clubs. By that time, it
seemed to me that I had been running on a treadmill for eight
years for all the progress I had made, ft seemed to me that
the very people who could do something about Flint's prob-
lems were exactly the ones who couldn't be made to see, to
understand, to feel, and to act. I didn't know many members
of the Rotary Club I spoke to that day, but to me they sym-
bolized exactly the people I hadn't been able to reach. I am
sure I was rude, and that my bitterness about the inaction of
Flint's men of influence — including the men in that room —
was more than evident. I ridiculed those men for sitting so
comfortably and complacently in their club meetings, while
all Flint's social ills continued unabated. Looking back, it
seems clear that I could have made only a very bad impression
— but at least I did make an impression.

One of the men who came up and talked with me a minute
or two afterwards was C. S. Mott. I had never met him before.

117

He said something about having a backyard playground of
his own, and invited me to come over and see it

Of course, I had heard many things about Mr. Mott —
some of them right, but most of them wrong. I had heard that
he had a large fortune but that his Scotch qualities made it
unlikely that he would spend any of it. I did not know what
to expect, but thought that he would not be inviting me to
come to see him if something in my talk had not impressed
him to the point where he was considering doing something
to help.

I visited Mr. Mott's home, Applewood, then a sixty-four-
acre farm-estate just four blocks from the center of Flint.
When Mr. Mott found I liked tennis, we played a few games.
Mr. Mott was sixty years old that June of 1935, but still a
fierce competitor. He didn't mention my Rotary Club talk,
but invited me back for more tennis.

About the middle of August, when I was figuring that all
I was going to get out of the summer was some exercise, I
mentioned to Mr. Mott that I was going back to Herkimer,
New York, for a couple weeks vacation before school started.
We were taking a breather between games on the tennis court
at the moment.

Then, out of a clear sky, Mr. Mott lobbed this question
across the tennis net: "What do you think of a boys' club here
in Flint?"

He caught me off guard, but I managed a return. I said, "I
think the boys' clubs are wonderful; it's just too bad we can't
open the forty boys' clubs we have here in Flint"

He said, "What do you mean?"

I pointed to Central High School, visible from Mr. Mott's
tennis courts. "There's one," I said. "It's closed down at 4
o'clock, when a boys' club should open. It's complete with
two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, a cafeteria, shops — every-
thing you would want in a boys' club, along with what you'd
want for girls' club, mothers' club, family club, a complete
community center. Only we can't use it And that's just one.
There are forty such schools in Flint — one within half a mile
of every man, woman, and child in town. They all stand idle
118

after 4 o'clock every day, because the Board of Education
has no money to keep them open."

Mr. Mott heard me. After eight years, someone really
heard what I was saying — someone who could do something
about it. "Well, how could we go about trying it?" he asked.

I answered, "I suggest you put it up to the Board of Edu-
cation. It won't be too difficult to work out a basis of starting
such a plan in ten schools to begin with."

Mr. Mott thought that five schools would be enough to
handle for a beginning, and he was right. Before we quit the
tennis court that mid-August day in 1935, we had agreed that
Mr. Mott would put the idea up to the Board of Education.

When he did so, the members of the board thought it was
a wonderful idea. I learned another big lesson. There is al-
ways a best person to present any idea — usually the one who
can do most toward making that idea into a fact. They could
hear that idea from Mr. Mott, because they knew he had the
means to translate it from a mere idea into a wonderful reality.
I saw that it was much more important to get a good idea
accepted than it was to get the credit for it — and that's another
lesson I have tried to remember ever since.

It was agreed that Mr. Mott would furnish $6,000 for the
school year, for supervision in those five schools, while the
Board of Education would assume any additional cost of heat,
light, and janitor service. That was the real beginning of the
Charles Stewart Mott Fpundation Program of the Flint Board
of Education as we know it today, the beginning of Flint's
community school concept, the first step from which all the
many subsequent developments of the Foundation were to
proceed. It was, above all else, the moment when the needs of
Flint's people began to assume paramount importance in com-
munity thinking.

I have realized since that the eight years spent trying to
overcome obstacles before 1935 served many good purposes.
We had not only tilled the soil, preparing for acceptance of
the ideas; we had also, in our informal surveys, and through
our contacts with so many groups throughout Flint, obtained
a real sense of the community needs as the community itself

119

expressed those needs. And, perhaps most important of all,
we had developed a group of trained, capable, loyal, hard-
working leaders — people dedicated to the same concept of
community ideals which had kept me trying against all ob-
stacles through the years. Without the able, devoted services
of those leaders, the subsequent accomplishments of the Mott
Foundation would not have been possible.

Thus, from the special view of Frank J. Manley, director
of the Mott Foundation from those days in 1935, we have the
story of how this tremendous program began — utilizing funds
set aside by Charles Stewart Mott and his family for the Foun-
dation, following methods developed by Manley, and working
toward the common ideal shared by Mott and Manley to give
people a chance to improve their lives and to make Flint a bet-
ter place to live for all its people.

Manley's concern with using publicly owned facilities — the
schools — as community centers for community activities, sug-
gested the partnership with the Flint Board of Education.
Mott had already worked out one such cooperative arrange-
ment with the board in 1918, and late in 1935 he also agreed
to contribute $6,000 to supplement the board's health program
with the understanding that the board would not reduce the
$24,000 budget already allotted as the maximum available.
Mott had initiated this gift after finding that many boys selected
by the schools to send to Mott Camp showed serious need of
medical and dental care.

120

TWELVE

It would have been simpler and easier to build an impressive
boys' club building and set up an endowment than to operate
the Mott Foundation actively and personally. But Mott has
always given the same interest, imagination, and ability to the
task of spending his money well that he devoted to earning it
in the first place. With thousands of foundations in the United
States — more than two hundred of them in Michigan — very
few actually operate their own programs on a direct working
basis. And no other foundation is known to work with and
through a local board of education in the way the Mott Foun-
dation has operated since 1935.

A program for conserving, enriching, and improving human
lives can be developed effectively with business methods, com-
mon sense, the techniques of good administration, research and
pilot-project experimentation, and sound organization to avoid
waste. That is exactly what the Mott Foundation has done. The
use of the forty existing school buildings in Flint for a program
to improve the lives of the people who owned those buildings
appealed to Mott's common sense and practical judgment He
felt that he could do much more good with the Foundation's
funds in this way — get more human value for Flint people with
the dollars spent. It would have been wasteful to him to dupli-
cate already-existing buildings — buildings which could be made
available and admirably serve community recreation and edu-
cation purposes.

The board of education, in 1935 and after, has been most
happy to have funds made available for good programs that
lacked public funds. In effect, the board has sponsored most
aspects of Mott Foundation activities, and it has requested
Foundation funds to carry on programs for which there was a

121

demonstrated community need In addition, the Foundation has
carried out many projects with other community agencies.

Mott has often described the function of the Foundation as,
"greasing the wheels of already-existing machinery," and he
has spoken of "not spending money for bricks and mortar to
put up buildings" but "utilizing existing facilities and spending
our funds for supervision and instruction to bring people the
most good/* But these principles have not stopped the Founda-
tion from meeting a demonstrated community need. If a new
building has been shown to be necessary to carry out needed
work, the new building has been constructed.

When the board of education formally accepted Motfs con-
tribution of $6,000 for supervision and equipment to be used
in a recreation program to be conducted at five schools, the
money was deposited to its account for disbursement only by
the board's business manager, as authorized. In general, this
same arrangement has prevailed ever since in administering the
board of education-Mott Foundation activities.

In this pilot project, five Flint schoolhouses were lighted up
that fall of 1935. Public response was so overwhelming as to
make Mauley glad they had not tried to begin with ten schools.
Enrollment was about three times greater than Manley's most
optimistic expectation. Manley was delighted — but he needed
more supervisors and teachers, and it was clear that the $6,000
would not cover the whole year as expected.

After Mott's return from Bermuda in December, 1935,
Manley wanted to request additional funds which obviously
would be needed for the program — but he still felt unsure of
Mott, and was afraid that Mott might not welcome such a
request.

Manley was rehearsing over and over again in his mind just
what he would say to Mott to tell him that the program had
succeeded so well that it was rapidly running out of money.
Before he had worked up his presentation to a point of useful-
ness, Mott called and asked Manley to come over. We return
to Manley's notes for his account of that crucial interview.
122

I picked up every scrapbook I had, and a complete record
of every penny spent, and just what it had been spent for.
Mr. Mott welcomed me into his living room (which I always
think of as a shade smaller than a standard basketball court).
I talked, and showed the multitude of clippings — an amazing
array of favorable publicity and commentary from the Flint
Journal in particular. There were stories about the classes,
stories about the leaders, stories and more stories about the
crowds of people taking advantage of this new opportunity
for recreation and education. I talked, and showed the figures
— exactly what we had spent, and what the money had brought
us. I talked about how we could cut down delinquency and
crime. I talked, and kept on talking, Mr. Mott listened, and
twiddled a pencil. It seemed to me that I didn't dare stop talk-
ing, because I had already made it evident that the money was
not going to last out the year. And when I stopped talking
about what we were doing, I would have to come to the point
of asking for more money to continue — or the whole program
would have to be dropped. I never talked so hard in my life.
Mr. Mott listened, and did not say anything. I realized after-
wards that he would have had to interrupt me to say anything
at all, because I was talking on a marathon basis. We were
sitting at one end of that enormous living room. Maybe, in my
talking, I had come to the point of repeating what I had said
earlier; I am not sure. Anyway, Mr. Mott got up out of his
chair and walked to the other end of the room and turned off
a small lamp bulb burning there. I thought that perhaps this
was his way of showing me that — since he couldn't afford to
leave the light bulb burning — he certainly couldn't afford to
contribute extra thousands of dollars to the program I was
describing. Prejudices imparted to me by others flooded over
my mind once more; I felt hopeless and defeated.

Mr. Mott sat down in his chair again. "What you have re-
ported sounds very good," he said. "If you need any more
money, speak up."

For all my talking up to that point, I couldn't "speak up,"
although he had opened the door wide to just the request I
had come to make. The shock was too great IBs words were
so far from what I had expected him to say that it stopped

725

me cold; I just couldn't shift gears that fast. It was like a
perfect placement in tennis; he had made his point, and I
was so far from being in position for it that I couldn't even
wave my racquet at it. Somehow, I managed to answer, "I'll
have to think it over — figure out how much more we will
need. I'll see you tomorrow or the next day, and we'll figure
it out."

I understood at last that hatred of waste on the one hand
went right along with appreciation of value on the other
with Mr. Mott. When he noticed an unnecessary light burn-
ing, he turned it off. When he saw that our five-school ex-
perimental program was proving successful far beyond our
expectations in terms of human values, he was volunteering
additional funds for it without my even asking. I realized
that this was the turning point for the program — the moment
of its transition from an experimental pilot project into a
going, growing, established concern.

Still somewhat in a daze from the unexpected turn of
events, I went out of Mr. Mott's great house and climbed
in my five-year-old second-hand Chevrolet. I know the motor
was not hitting very smoothly, yet I rode home on a cloud —
as happy as a young man could possibly be. I knew that
Mr. Mott really understood, appreciated, and believed in the
program — and would back it to whatever extent necessary
to produce the good human results we were both concerned
to achieve. When I got home and went in the house — every
light was on, and my wife and the children were in bed
asleep. I thought, "There's the difference between the Motts
and the Manleys — the haves and the have-nots. We will
probably never learn to conserve the pennies and make dol-
lars out of them — but at least we can share the human ideal
of helping to illuminate the lives of others, and make our
own contribution to carrying out the ideal in reality."

In the course of the next few days, Manley worked out a
plan for continuing the program through the remainder of the
school year and through the summer, and Mott provided the
additional funds necessary. From that day on, the Mott Foun-
dation program has expanded every year to a current budget of
$1.5 million.

124

Manley and others had made the most of funds available
through the Emergency Relief, Works Progress Administration,
and National Youth Administration, to restore opportunity to
Flint. But it was the opening of the school doors — the inaugu-
ration of a plan not limited by the restrictions hemming in
Governmental agencies — that gave Flint a real open door to
opportunity again.

While the beginning of the plan had been keyed to establish-
ing boys' clubs in the schools, there were requests for similar
activities for girls and adults. The people themselves were
moving toward the community-school concept naturally and
spontaneously. The program was diversified and expanded to
meet the demonstrated interest and need.

The leaders — originally one man and one woman at each
of the five schools — were given an intensive special training
course covering the philosophy of the program, organization of
clubs, athletics, dramatics, games, library facilities, story tell-
ing, psychology of handling various age groups, and the
relationship of the program to the problems of juvenile delin-
quency. Experts in these special fields were called in to give
concentrated instruction to the leaders.

A Flint Journal story, covering the new program in detail,
noted:

There will be no standardized type of program. Each com-
munity center will establish the programs desired by the
individual groups, so that every boy and girl in the city
will be given an opportunity to enjoy a wholesome type of
recreation. There will be no fee of any kind, and all the
boys and girls in Flint are invited to enroll at their own
community centers. The project will be carried on from
6:30 to 9:30 o'clock every night excepting Saturday. It is
planned to utilize the entire day each Saturday for programs
more comprehensive than can be carried out during the
three-hour periods each night.

To finance the huge recreational program, the Mott Foun-
dation has provided $6,000 for the season, of which $5,000
will be required for the full time services of the community

725

center leaders; $500 for athletic and miscellaneous equip-
ment, and $500 for medals and expenses for a proposed de-
cathlon.

Frank Manley, physical and recreational director of the
Flint public schools, is the active manager of the project.

The general committee in charge includes Circuit Judge
James S. Parker, president; Probate Judge Frank McAvin-
chey, treasurer; Frank Farry, Boy Scout leader, secretary;
Leland H. Lamb, superintendent of schools; Dr. A. J. Wil-
danger, Dr. Henry Cook, Dr. Lafon Jones, Floyd Adams,
C. S. Mott, Roy E. Brownell, and Mr. Manley.

The article continued with the names of the leaders for each
of the five schools, and emphasis on the point that each com-
munity would choose its own types of recreational activities,
in terms of the interests and needs of the people attending. The
story continued:

The types of activities to be conducted in the community
centers include:

Physical

Gymnastics, basketball, indoor baseball, volley ball, indoor
track, wrestling, boxing, swimming, skating, and hockey.

Social

Checkers, dominoes, cards, modern and old-time dancing,
game nights, social mixers, parties, and picnics.

Auditorium
Chorus, community singing, orchestra, band.

Dramatics
Pantomime, minstrels, plays, stunt clubs.

Community Nights

Speakers, movies, lantern slides, home talent nights, con-
certs.

Class Rooms

Sketch club, art classes, sewing groups, hobby clubs, air-
plane dubs.

The efforts of the community center leaders and super-
126

visors will be supplemented by the services of those who can
help with various projects, such as dramatics, handicraft,
and marionette shows.

Orchestras will be available for dancing; pianists will be
provided for tap dancing classes; musical directors will be
available to teach glee club and other choral work, and
others whose talents will assist the general program will con-
tribute their share.

With such a list of possibilities to start from, it is no wonder
that opportunity-hungry Flint responded. Even before the first
evening of actual operation of the five centers, preliminary
meetings with coordinating committees representing each
school and surrounding neighborhood had already required
rearrangement and enlargement of tentative plans. The first
regular evening schedule included gymnasium classes for ele-
mentary boys, junior high boys, senior high boys, young men,
and married men; girls' tumbling; mothers' knitting class;
dramatics; boxing; wrestling; ping-pong; girls' handicrafts;
general games; story telling; knitting and sewing for girls ten to
eighteen. On the second evening, junior and senior basketball
leagues were organized, and several other activities were initi-
ated, including a married women's gymnasium class, a fathers'
club, and a women's chorus. (It might be noted that the number
and variety of activities presented through the Mott Foundation
has been expanding ever since.)

The five schools chosen for the recreational program —
Martin, Lowell, McKinley, Zimmerman, and Homedale — in-
cluded in their areas some of Flint's highest-juvenile-delin-
quency sections. The idea that the recreational and athletic
program — substituting wholesome for unwholesome activities
— was the answer to juvenile delinquency was very much in
the minds of those backing the endeavor. A distinguished
visitor in November, 1935, had the same idea.

Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Flint and reported her
findings in her syndicated column appearing in many papers
throughout the country. Her comments included these:

127

They have done a remarkable job of co-ordinating in Flint.
Their community plan co-ordinates all the various commu-
nity forces — industrial, social, philanthropic, recreational, and
educational. So it seems natural that the Youth Administra-
tion, and the WPA, and all other government agencies have
done a co-operative job here with the city. The outstanding
factor in their programs is the use of schools. Instead of
closing them at 4 o'clock, they remain open and become
community centers. Classes of every description go on just
as they do all day and recreational programs are carried out.
They are trying to provide out-of-door recreation for every
child in the city. They showed me a park that had been made
from a dump. A public-spirited citizen had contributed some
very good tennis courts which are going to be sprayed and
used as a skating rink this winter. Someone else has donated
the money to put up a building where they will have showers,
toilets, a game room, and a stage where they can rehearse
their plays. There is to be an outdoor theatre in the park
next summer and some stone fireplaces are to be built for
picnics. Another public-spirited citizen has paid the teachers
who stay overtime to teach in the schools. Last summer
everyone who had a backyard vacant lot or field which could
be used as a playground, was asked to fix it up and open it
for the neighborhood children. The result is that the Boy
Scouts and Girl Scouts are putting a course of training as
leaders in these playgrounds into their program this year.
The city has become so much interested and recognizes so
well the value of this entire program that it would probably
go on without any Federal aid. What the community is spend-
ing in prevention of crime will probably be amply covered
by the reduction in young gangsters and hoodlums who man-
age to destroy a good deal of property.

A full page of pictures of Mott recreation activities in the
December 22, 1935, Flint Journal showed a boys' harmonica
group, archery in the game room, a girls' gymnasium class, a
beauty-culture class, a tap-dancing class, a girls' basketball
game, boys in a woodworking class, younger children playing
128

games, and young women knitting. Publicity of this kind made
its own real contribution to swelling the attendance.

Although there had been some woodworking activities in the
first months of the program, it was not until February, 1936,
that regular industrial-arts courses assumed major importance
— with the contribution of salvage materials from Flint indus-
tries, and instruction from regular teachers in the school work-
shops. Before the winter program was over, it required almost
a full newspaper column each day to list that evening's activities
at the five schools.

During the last week of the evening schedules for that first
year, the Flint Journal noted:

The greatest recreational program ever provided for the
youth of Flint will bring its winter schedule to a close this
week after having served more than 120,000 young people.

Designed to provide wholesome recreation adapted to the
needs of every section of the city, the winter program of the
Charles Stewart Mott recreation project will conclude Fri-
day night after having recorded a community achievement
without parallel in the nation.

Utilizing school buildings as community centers, the Mott
project has proved successful far beyond the original hopes
of its sponsors.

Figures compiled today show that the project has served
120,032 young people with an average attendance each week
of 5,456. Of this total, 76,516 were boys and 43,516 girls.
The average weekly attendance of boys was 3,478 and that
of girls was 1,978. In addition to these totals, thousands
of adult spectators were cared for.

This does not include the closing event of the city-wide
program which will culminate in a decathlon and pentathlon
at Dort Field on May 23, with nearly 12,000 boys and gkls
competing for bronze medals and honor ribbons

Not only has the project reduced juvenile delinquency,
but it has also been a material factor in carrying on the
child safety program, which, combined with the back yard

729

playground movement, has given Flint the enviable record
of not having had a child killed by traffic while playing in
the streets for more than one year. . . .

The article concluded:

One of the cardinal factors in the success of the Mott pro-
gram is recognition of Jefferson's philosophy that the schools
are built for all the people. The project takes advantage of
facilities that have been available for years, but which the
average community always has neglected.

It is based on the fact that school buildings stand idle the
greater part of the time and that these buildings can be
made into community centers where the wholesome recrea-
tional activities are provided for otherwise idle hands. . . .

Thus one of the continuing objectives of the Mott Founda-
tion was recognized in the first year of operation: serving as
an exemplar pilot project for other communities. The commu-
nity-school concept emerged clearly — as did the Foundation's
unique partnership with the board of education. Also evident
from the nature of the program was the emphasis on oppor-
tunity. Another principle demonstrated in the first year, and
followed consistently ever since, is adapting the program to
specific needs of the people themselves. No cut-and-dried
program was handed to the people; each section of the com-
munity determined its own activities by its declared interests
and needs. The use of qualified personnel — chiefly teachers —
for instruction, leadership, and training in their own fields was
also evident in the first year's operations. Above all, the genuine
American democracy of the program was made clear: the true
respect for people as individuals with abilities, needs, and
capacity for growth and development when opportunity exists.
The Mott Foundation program is a demonstration of democ-
racy, recognizing that real equality is not a matter of hereditary
endowments, but of opportunity for each person to develop his
own highest possibilities.

130

THIRTEEN

A great happiness came to the Motts with the birth of their
daughter, Susan Elizabeth, at El Paso, Texas, on February 13,
1936. Mrs. Mott's father, Dr. Junius A. Rawlings, attended at
the delivery of his granddaughter. Only weeks later, tragedy
shadowed the new happiness of the family with the illness and
death of Dr. Rawlings. Mott noted in his diary for March 25,
1936 (the day of the funeral of Dr. Rawlings) :

Regarding Dr. Junius Rawlings' place in the hearts of the
people of El Paso, I am sure that no other man in the city
was regarded with so much love and affection as he. ... He
was the most kindly man I have ever known, thought no
evfl of anyone. ... He spent endless time working for the
poor and needy without financial remuneration and without
regard to hours or care of himself His was a life of self-
sacrifice He will be terribly missed by his family, his

friends, and his beneficiaries, but as an example of a fine
life he made a record that his family may justly be proud of.

Back in Flint by early June, Mott spent a good part of his
days at his office in the General Motors building in Detroit.
The man who had invited Mott to Flint in 1905, W. C. Durant,
had come to one of the bitter valleys of his incredible career.
His Durant Motors had abandoned Flint operations in 1926,
and then transferred to New Jersey, but by 1928 it had fallen
by the wayside. Durant himself had tried other ventures, but
the Midas touch appeared to have been lost. In 1936, pressure
from creditors forced him to file a voluntary petition in bank-
ruptcy. He listed almost a million dollars in debts, and had only
his clothes, valued at $250, to offer as assets.

A small group of men long associated with Durant quietly
contributed a sum of money for the fallen giant of the auto-

131

mobile industry. Those men, whom Durant called his real
friends, included Mott, Chrysler, Sloan, R. S. McLaughlin,
A. G. Bishop, and Dr. Campbell (Durant's son-in-law) . Durant
was most grateful for this help in a cruel hour; he wrote his
thanks to Mott, and mentioned that he proposed to dedicate
his memoirs to these real friends. Unhappily his autobiography
was not completed at the time of his death, and the full story of
this "larger-than-life" figure in American industry and finance
has never been made public.

The "real friends" of Durant who contributed the fund for

him at the time of his bankruptcy were well aware that

despite differences most of them had had with Durant at one
time or another — he was the Titan, the Founder of the Feast,
the opportunity-maker. As long as boldness, daring imagi-
nation, dramatic action, and infinite enterprise were required
to shape an empire out of a vision, Durant was the indispen-
sable man. But when caution, retrenchment, and conservation
were essential, Durant was out of his element. Looking back,
it is easy to wonder why he did not keep just one of those 90
minions of his personal fortune he poured into the market in
1920 to support the falling price of General Motors stock.
The same character qualities which had led him to accumulate
that fortune prevented him from salvaging any substantial
portion of it. Fortunately for the Titan, some of the Olympians
remembered and honored him. Mott has always made it a
point to credit Durant for the greatness of his founding con-
tribution and the gigantic momentum he imparted to General
Motors in the early years. To those who know and appreciate
the unique qualities of Durant, nothing in the failures of his
later years can take away from the amazing roster of his
successful accomplishments.

The depression was still the depression and Flint had many
more bitter days ahead, particularly during the sit-down strikes
of the first weeks of 1937. Social, economic, and political
forces of more than local magnitude came to grips in that
long-closed chapter of Flint's history. On February 11, 1937,
132

an agreement ended the strikes — and mutual understanding
and constructive working together have been typical of the
years since. Throughout the strikes, Mott Foundation pro-
grams continued uninterrupted, except that some activities re-
quiring use of the gymnasiums in some schools had to be
suspended for a short time because the gymnasiums were
utilized temporarily as quarters for the National Guard.

Just as it is the mutual conviction of Mott and Manley that
only people are important, the Foundation itself demonstrated
repeatedly that the most essential building block in a com-
munity program is leadership by people who care about people.
Given a nucleus of such leaders, all else may follow. Without
such leadership, the individual and community objectives seem
at an impossible distance. Manley, in his years of trial and
error, had found among his school associates a small but
effective group that shared his vision and had the background,
experience, and skills to build that vision into a practical
reality.

To understand the response to the Foundation's program, it
is both necessary and appropriate to note some of those leaders
who put the program into practice. Outstanding among these
are Myrtle Black, Alton R. Patterson, Harold D. Bacon, and
William F. Minardo.

It is impossible to measure the special contribution of Mrs.
Black to the total development of the Foundation program —
not only in her special field, adult education, but in her relation-
ship to the evolution of the total concept, and in her intensely
loyal assistance to Manley whenever and wherever required.

Graduated from the University of Chicago in 1922 with the
degree Ph.B., she received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the
University of Michigan, in 1942 and 1952 respectively —
thereby exemplifying the value of adult education in her own
life. Wife of a Presbyterian minister, Mrs. Black had exception-
ally heavy financial responsibilities to her invalid mother, and
had taught school for four years while the family lived at
Kinde, Mich. Coming to Flint, Mrs. Black was unable to

133

secure employment in teaching other than as a substitute be-
cause of a depression ruling against hiring married teachers.

In 1933, the F.E.R.A. announced possible part-time work
for unemployed teachers, and Mrs. Black along with hundreds
of other Flint-area teachers-without-a-school went to see about
it Frank Manley, Phil Vercoe, and John Wellwood of the
Flint public schools had been delegated to handle the appli-
cants under this special program. When Mrs. Black arrived,
she found Manley, Vercoe, and Wellwood inundated with
crowds of applicants. She volunteered as a secretary-helper to
assist in registering applicants, and Manley lured her then and
there. Mrs. Black worked for one agency after another, but
since Manley remained in charge of liaison between the public
schools and the Federal agencies, she was always working with
him to some extent. Thus it can be said that she, like Manley,
was already in motion with the objectives of the Foundation
even before Mott and Manley had instituted the formal pro-
gram in the fall of 1935. Since that time, it would be difficult to
say whether Mrs. Black has grown more with the Foundation,
or the Foundation has grown more with Mrs. Black. She is now
well-known in adult education circles throughout the United
States for her work through the Foundation.

Alton R. Patterson had been Manley's best friend and room-
mate at college, and they had come to Flint together after
graduation from Michigan State Normal in 1927 — each to his
first job as a physical education instructor. Patterson shared
Manley's belief in the social value of sound recreation, and
worked closely with Manley in the formative days of the Mott
Foundation as supervisor of recreational activities in the
schools in the north part of Flint. Later he widened his activ-
ities and became assistant director of the Mott Foundation
program as well as director of pupil personnel, attendance, and
child accounting for the schools. Loyal, intelligent, and pur-
poseful, Patterson made an important contribution to the
development of the Foundation program — and his death in
1951 was a serious loss to the leadership.
134

C.S.Mottinl898,
Gunners Mate 1st Class

In 1902: C. S. Mott drives his first car, a 1901 Remington

(Bottom) View of downtown Flint in 1905

(Top right) Officers and supervisors of Weston-Mott Company pose with
C. S. Mott (front row, fourth from left) after move to Flint in 1907
(Bottom right) C. S. Mott at the wheel of his third car-a 1907 Stevens
Duryea, made in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. With him in the front
seat is Mrs. Mott, In the back seat are his mother, Mrs. John Coon Mott
and Hubert Dalton

Weston Mott Offices, on left, beside the Buick plant at the corner of In-
dustrial and Hamilton Avenues, 1910

c r w v riCa>S automobile indus*y : Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.,
C. a Mott, C. W. Nash, and H. H. Bassett, at Nash's Kenosha (Wis.) plani

(Left) "Desert Dick"-C. S. Mott in Arizona, 1932 (Right) With wife
and children on his seventy-fifth birthday on June 2, 1950: (top) Mr. and
Mrs. C. S. Mott, (middle) Harding Mott, Elsa Mott (Mrs. Kenneth Ives),
Aimee Mott (Mrs. Patrick Butler), (bottom) Stuart Mott, Maryanne Mott,
Susan Mott (Mrs. Sherill Dansby)

President Eisenhower congratulates Mr. Mott on receiving the 1954 Big
Brother of the Year Award

(Above) In 1958, laying the cornerstone of the Charles Stewart Mott
Building of the University of Chicago: (front) Chancellor Lawrence
Kimpton, C. S. Mott, Dr. Robert Burns, (back) Mrs. C. S. Mott, Harding
Mott, Aimee Mott Butler, trustees of the Mott Foundation

(Top right) At dedication in 1957 of the Mott Memorial Building for use
by the Flint College of the University of Michigan: Dr. Alexander
Ruthven, President Emeritus; Dr. Harlan H. Hatcher, President; Dr.
David French, Dean of Flint College; C. S. Mott; Walter E. Scott, Presi-
dent, Flint Board of Education

(Right) The foundation of the Foundation

Frank J. Manley, Director, Mott Foundation

Harold D. Bacon is another of the original little group of
exceptional leaders with both the heart and the skill to make
the original Mott Foundation idea work out in fact. A graduate
of Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan
University), Bacon had come to Flint as a physical education
instructor in 1928, and his qualifications were admirably
adapted to the needs of the Foundation plan. In 1934, he
became assistant supervisor of physical education for the
schools — and later was made supervisor. He first directed the
Foundation recreational activities in the west part of Flint,
and later became supervisor of recreation for the Foundation.
He has earned a national reputation as a caller of square
dances, and has woven a wide range of activities into a recre-
ation program of impressive versatility.

William F. Minardo is the fourth of that original group of
closest associates of Manley. Having graduated from Notre
Dame in 1932 with a B.S. in physical education, Minardo
became a physical education instructor in the Flint schools in
1934. With the inception of the Mott program in 1935, he
became supervisor of recreational activities in schools on the
east side of Flint. Above all, Minardo brought unflagging
enthusiasm and wholehearted good feeling toward people to
the program — which made him the ideal man to become the
first community-school services director in 1951. With part-
time helpers, Minardo also assumed responsibility for directing
community services at other community schools. In more recent
years, he has been acting as consultant and general problem-
solver for the directors of community services in all Flint
schools. In 1957, he received his M.A. in Community Educa-
tion at Michigan State Normal, Ypsilanti. Endless energy,
warmth of heart, and genuine concern for people are among
Minardo's exceptional contributions to the development of the
program.

There have been hundreds of others in the course of twenty-
seven years, many of whom have enhanced the Foundation
program with abiding enthusiasm and special abilities, but

755

these four were among the very first — and three of them are
still devoting their skills and energies to carrying on the Foun-
dation's work.

The national publicity received by the program in 1936
included an article in the New York Times, a Christian Science
Monitor story with pictures, and stories in Newsweek, The
Commonweal, and many large newspapers. The Flint Journal,
by the end of 1936, had distributed some eight hundred copies
of its booklet, "The Flint Plan of Recreation," in response to
inquiries from other communities.

The fall, 1936, recreation program, opened in fifteen schools
and drew wider and more enthusiastic participation than the
previous year's; over 4,000 people enrolled the very first eve-
ning. An important development was a group of shop classes in
both wood- and metalwork, supervised by Harry Burnham, in
which fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, could learn
manual skills, use of tools, and methods of making and repair-
ing many household items. Constant addition of new types of
classes, as interest in different fields developed, kept bringing
more and more variety to the program.

Beginning in January, 1937, the Mott Foundation held a
series of public-forum meetings, with prominent speakers lead-
ing discussions on topics of current interest.

It was in 1937 that Mott ceased to be a vice-president of
General Motors, although remaining a director. He retained his
office in the General Motors building in Detroit, and continued
to spend considerable time there. In May, 1937, the advance-
ment of the man Mott had hired for General Motors fifteen
years earlier, William S. Knudsen, to the presidency of the
corporation, along with the election of Floyd Tanner, one of
the many men who started with the Weston-Mott Company
and continued their progress with General Motors, as a vice-
president, caused Mott to write letters of congratulation to both
these friends. Tanner had started with Weston-Mott Company
over 25 years earlier as workman and had advanced steadily.

College commencement in 1937 brought special honors to
136

both Mott and Manley. The honorary degree, doctor of engi-
neering, was conferred upon Mott by Stevens Institute of Tech-
nology. At a dinner held by the trustees of Stevens, Mott was
called upon for a brief talk. His diary entry includes these
remarks:

A number of years ago I used to go cruising with a couple
of highbrow engineers and their wives, and when an auspi-
cious moment arrived I would innocently ask whether or not
the world was more civilized now than a hundred years ago.
Apparently, this is a most controversial question, and it
never failed to start a long and heated argument which usu-
ally ended up with, "Well, what do you mean by civiliza-
tion?" If the war in Spain, the conquest of Abyssinia, the
Soviet government, the conditions in France, Germany, and
Austria are to be considered — it is a question.

I live for four months each year in Bermuda, where, thank
heaven, automobiles are not allowed on the public roads
and transportation is principally by horse-drawn vehicles and
bicycles. My wife is praying for a horse and buggy — which
seems "logical and according to the American Constitution"
(at least one man said that) . At any rate we are much more
primitive than here in the United States and perhaps more
civilized in our relations with other people.

Here in this country corporations and individuals are
spending immense sums of money every year in research,
the prosecution of which is one of the most interesting sub-
jects that I know of, and the results produced change almost
every condition in life — tremendously beneficial in many ways
but causing social problems no end.

These problems will have to be solved and when they are
solved with fairness to all, I think we may say that we have
advanced in civilization.

Michigan State Normal College conferred the honorary
degree of master of education on Frank J. Manley, in recogni-
tion of his outstanding work in physcial education and recre-
ation. Newspaper reports of the award pointed out that it was
rarely made, and that Manley was the first to receive it from

737

Michigan State Normal (since renamed Eastern Michigan
University). This recognition was particularly gratifying to
Manley because he had taken so much of his inspiration from
his instructors at the college.

A diary entry of July 23, 1937, demonstrates both Mott's
continued activity in General Motors and the interest he has
always maintained in every type of new development — whether
in sciences, arts, or humanities.

Back to office I 'phoned Kettering and found that he could
see me so went over to the research laboratory and he ex-
plained a lot of things that he and the laboratory are work-
ing on. Regarding Diesels — I saw a lot of new stuff on the
drawing boards, and I saw some of the engines and blocks.
He also showed me their very marvelous fuel injector. . . .
I also saw new developments in automobile engines, chassis,
spring construction, and bodies. I asked about fuel. Ket has
for years wanted to develop and produce fuels with higher

octane and anti-knocking qualities When Ket first started

his experiments which resulted in Ethyl gasoline, the auto-
mobile engine was up against the fact that there was no
standardized fuel. Different oil companies produced gaso-
line with tremendous variations of purity and anti-knocking
qualities — some very good and some very bad. The results
of the perfection of tetra-ethyl lead and Ethyl gasoline has
been standardized production of regular gasoline.

Now, what Ket wants to do is to produce a fuel with a
very much higher octane or anti-knock rating than Ethyl
gasoline — either by new and improved oil cracking proc-
esses, or addition of tetra-ethyl lead or other ingredients. If
that can be accomplished, a much higher compression engine
can be used, with much higher efficiency and more miles
per gallon. . . .

Two days later, July 25, 1937, Mott's diary notes: "Mr.
W. C. Durant 'phoned me and came up and spent an hour,
telling me what he is busy with at present. He has gone into the
oil business, especially in Louisiana, and is spending a lot of
time down there. I expect he is 72 years old, but seems to be
138

as healthy and lively as ever. He is well-steeped in the oil prop-
osition. ... I will say that he did not try to sell me any-
thing. . . ."

An August 15, 1937, Flint Journal article headed, "Flint
Plan of Recreation Becomes a National Affair," emphasized
the rising interest of other communities in finding out what
Flint was doing. Three thousand copies of the booklet, "The
Flint Plan of Recreation," had already been sent by the Journal
in response to inquiries originating in forty states and four
foreign countries — and 500 more requests had come in since
the last printing of the booklet was exhausted. Throughout
these beginning years of Foundation activities, the consistent
friendliness and helpfulness of the Flint Journal in publicizing
Foundation activities with both stories and pictures — from
marble-shooting, Golden Gloves boxing, safety playgrounds,
and softball leagues, to classroom activities, public forums,
musical programs, and a host of other events — were important
factors in keeping the Flint-area public informed about op-
portunities offered.

139

FOURTEEN

In September, 1937, the Mott Foundation increased its con-
tribution to the next season's recreation program to $31,400,
more than 50 per cent over the previous year's funds. With
fifteen schools open throughout the 1936-1937 season, 12,641
persons had enrolled in a wide variety of activities. The 1937
summer program had seen more than 3,000 back-yard safety
playgrounds in operation — with over a million child-days of
attendance at these playgrounds during the summer.

Five schools had been opened for the recreation program in
1935; fifteen schools had participated in 1936; twenty-two
schools were opened in 1937. A twenty-five-week winter pro-
gram was planned, to extend from November to the next May.
It was still viewed as a recreation program, but the adult educa-
tion aspect was beginning to emerge increasingly, as the desires
and needs of mothers and fathers were made evident. The
announced schedule of activities offered included: airplane
clubs, art, band, basketball, beauty culture, boxing, citizenship,
common branches of education, cooking, dramatics, English,
fencing, game rooms, gymnasium, handicraft, harmonica,
hobby clubs, home nursing, knitting, library, history, nature
study, orchestra, ping-pong, puppets, sewing, shops, shower
clubs, singing, social dancing, stamp clubs, tap dancing, fly
tying, bait casting, commercial law, pottery, funny-paper room,
stoic clubs, newspaper work, public forum, toe dancing, ballet
dancing, court procedure, archery, and badminton. This list
was expanded as other interests and needs were expressed by
those attending. About four newspaper columns were required
to list a week's scheduled activities at the schools; the lighted
schoolhouse was very much a going concern in Flint

On December 4, 1937, a son, Stewart Rawlings, was born to
140

the Motts — "a fine, well-formed boy, weighing ten pounds,'*
as Mott notes in his dairy for the day.

A new Mott-Foundation-backed plan to improve child
health in Flint was announced late in 1937. Called the Mott
Health Achievement Program, it was designed to interest both
children and parents in the correction of physical defects and
control of communicable diseases. The school health depart-
ment, with Dr. James A. Olson as director, had worked out
the plan with the city health department, headed by Dr.
George Hays.

Dr. Olson stated the objective of the program as an endeavor
"to eradicate the physical defects that now exist in school
children, and that are handicapping these children in their
learning abilities and social relationships/' and to impress upon
parents, children, and teachers the fact that, "the child's health,
more than any other factor, determines his regularity of at-
tendance, his behavior and his ability to cope successfully with
problems with which he is confronted."

During the first months of the program, some 20,000 chil-
dren in 28 public and 4 parochial schools participated. Physical
examinations were given to the children, only 5 per cent of
whom were found to be free of any defect worthy of attention.
The others averaged three defects each — a total of more than
60,000 correctable health defects among the children ex-
amined. Parents were urged to have family physician and
dentist correct the defects, and by April, 1938, 20,000 such
corrections had been made. The children who passed the phy-
sical examination at the end of the year's program received
"Flint Health-Guarded Child" awards from the Mott Foun-
dation— each in the form of a medal with the child's name
inscribed on it.

In the summer of 1938, the Mott Foundation assisted in a
basic reorganization of Flint's health services. This involved a
consolidation of the school and city health departments into a
community health service program. Methods of conducting the
Mott Health Achievement Program were altered, but the ob-

141

jectives remained the same, and nursing service in community
health education was intensified.

There was also a decided shift of emphasis within the Foun-
dation program toward enlarged opportunities in adult-educa-
tion classes. A correspondence-school program was developed
in association with the extension service of the University of
Michigan, offering both high school and college subjects for
credit — so that those whose education had been interrupted
could resume it and work toward diplomas and degrees. Four
centers were established for these courses, in addition to the
wide range of other classes in adult education offered by the
Foundation. The only charge to the student for the corre-
spondence courses was $1 per subject per semester for the cost
of materials and mailing the lesson units.

Still another major change in the Foundation program in
1938 had to do with the employment of six visiting teachers.
The background of this new Foundation activity dramatizes
the underlying pattern of the evolution of the whole program.
It has been sketched by Manley in these words:

When I first told Mr. Mott we could reduce delinquency
and develop a strong program that would prevent crime,
nobody in the world believed it more than I did. My only
thought was that if we could give everybody a chance to
have — as I had had — an opportunity to participate in ath-
letics, that was all there was to it. Sadly, this proved to be
simply not true. We opened up the schools, the gymnasiums,
the shops; we provided recreation of many types, under fine
leadership; we had worlds of participation. The buildings
were jammed with people taking part in increasing varieties
of activities.

But the sad fact was that we had as many juvenile delin-
quents as ever. We could have cheated the facts by a little
wishful juggling of statistics— because there happened to be
a change in handling juvenile cases in Hint at that time,
and many more were put on probation instead of being
sentenced to institutions. What we considered to be a wise
and humane policy on the part of Judge John Baker resulted
in only one-third as many sentences to State Training Schools

as in the past. It was almost too much of a temptation for
us to claim reduction of juvenile crime by two-thirds with
this circumstance to back us up. But we decided we did not
want to fool either ourselves or the public. The actual num-
ber of cases coming to the courts, and the relative magnitude
of the charges, did not seem to have been materially altered

After gathering the facts, I was so astounded that the pro-
gram wasn't having more tangible effect that I decided we
must find out the underlying causes. As a result, we insti-
tuted the visiting-teacher program. We wanted them to find
out, above all else, what made kids act the way they did.
Here, at last, after a drought of recreational opportunity,
young people had a highly varied choice of recreational and
educational activities available, under enjoyable circum-
stances, with the best of friendly leadership. Young people
participated in even greater numbers than we had dared to
hope — yet juvenile delinquency went on apparently unabated.
We had to know why this was so. The visiting teachers were
to find out, so that we could direct the program to solve the
big problem with which we had started.

While we didn't realize it at the time, all the future devel-
opments of the Foundation, and the many-sided attacks we
were to mount against the factors preventing socially sound
life for boys and girls, were to be based on the findings of
those six ladies who were going into the homes of Flint's
children.

Thus, the six visiting teachers began, in the fall of 1938, to
work with teachers, nurses, attendance officers, and social-
service centers to get at the problems of children who appeared
to be under exceptional stresses. The visiting teachers — also
designated as home counselors — were given training and as-
signed to districts. They had various types of social-service-
work backgrounds.

It was announced to school staffs that, "Whenever home or
family problems, either directly or indirectly, seriously affect
the behavior of school children, the visiting teacher may be
called in to assist the school in adjusting the case with the co-
operation, if necessary, of such other agencies as are interested
and active in these problems."

The Mott Foundation had been aware that a child with one
or more health problems does not have an equal opportunity;
from 1935, a health program had been developed, intensified
by the health-achievement approach in 1937. From the work
of the visiting teachers, it became evident that home patterns
were firmly imposed upon children — so that to help the child
get his equal chance, it was necesary to help the parents and
the home reach a sound level. In this way, adult education may
be seen as a definite approach to one aspect of juvenile delin-
quency. Similarly, the many other fields in which the Mott
Foundation has worked to meet demonstrated community
needs are related to the original central problem.

Still another 1938 development was the initiation of the
Stepping Stone Program for girls. The plan is basically an
educational endeavor cultivating attitudes and attributes con-
ducive to development of personal charm, self-improvement,
and moral responsibility for the individual, and orderliness and
harmony for the home. It is a practical training program in
personality and character building, involving specific skill,
knowledge, and pride in planning and maintaining a fine home
— from meal preparation, sewing, maintaining health, to
gracious human relationships. A pilot Stepping Stone Club in
1938 showed the very great need for such a program, and a
very real value to be achieved. A little history of the Stepping
Stone Clubs by Mrs. Milton Pollock, director of the Stepping
Stone Program from its inception, begins: "The idea for organ-
izing Stepping Stone Clubs for girls was born of a consciousness
that every girl has a hope and a desire to make something fine
of her life, and needs only an inspiration and a design for
living to help her make a reality of her dreams."

By 1942, twenty-three Stepping Stone Clubs of eighteen
members each had been organized in the Flint schools, with
members from fifth grade through senior high school. In 1943,
Michael Hamady of Flint gave a large home and fifteen-acre
estate to the Mott Foundation for use in carrying out a training
program in home and family living for the Stepping Stone girls.
144

To develop this training program, a house mother, a home
economist, activities supervisor, cook, and caretaker were en-
gaged under supervision of the director— and a year-around
program is conducted dedicated to the ideals of individual
development centered in the concept that a fine home is the
matrix of good life. In 1962, more than 600 girls were mem-
bers of the 3 1 Stepping Stone Clubs— the age range being ten to
eighteen years. The clubs meet once a week after class hours
at school, and spend a two-week period each year in residence
at Hamady House for special concentrated training in the
most fundamental of human arts, getting along with people,
particularly at home.

In June, 1939, the Mott Foundation aimed toward establish-
ment of a clinic in which physical defects could be corrected.
The plan received the approval of the medical and dental
societies during the summer, and Hurley Hospital offered
space and facilities on a reasonable basis. As these arrange-
ments were being made, Mott also became concerned about the
problems of treatment of crippled children. The Flint Rotary
Club had been active in this field, devoting about $4,000 a year
to investigation of the needs of crippled children in Genesee
County, transporting the children who needed care to Univer-
sity Hospital, Ann Arbor, and otherwise facilitating treatment
for children most urgently in need of it. The state appropriation
to pay for such care was reduced by half at this time, and the
Rotary Club felt hopeless about getting the whole job done with
only 50 per cent of the usual funds from the state for medical
expenses.

There were special problems which made it impossible to do
the work required for Genesee County children in Flint — and
Mott began attempting to find a solution to these problems.
After many meetings with members of the State Crippled
Children's Commission, the Governor, University of Michigan
officials, and others, Mott was able to note in his diary a plan
by which care for crippled children could be provided in Flint
at much less cost than had been involved in taking each child

145

to Ann Arbor, with the Foundation contributing up to $ 1 3,500
toward care and treatment for one year and thus compensating
for the reduced state appropriation.

September 26, 1939, a civic appreciation dinner produced
a remarkable group of tributes to Mott and his accomplish-
ments. The dinner was held at the Durant Hotel, and was
sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Flint, with
more than 550 attending. Mayor Harry M. Commins, speaking
for the community, began the tributes in generous terms, saying
that Flint was "glad and proud" to name Mott "as her first
citizen." Flint's superintendent of schools, Leland H. Lamb,
expressed special gratitude for Mott's "personal touch"
throughout the Foundation's activities. William S. Knudsen,
president of General Motors, spoke of Mott as a friend, noting
his helpfulness both as a business asociate and as an inspiration
in his personal life. Arthur H. Sarvis, president of Flint's park
and recreation board, said of Mott, "His philosophy is to con-
serve human values." Harlow H. Curtice, president of Buick,
called Mott's services "so great it is impossible for anyone to
measure them." F. A. Bower, president of Flint's community
fund, said of Mott, "He has had a very vital part to play in
every agency in our association." The president of the Flint
Junior Chamber of Commerce, E. D. Potter, presented a scroll
recognizing Mott for "enriching the lives and broadening the
opportunities of thousands of our youth."

In responding to the tribute, Mott expressed his gratitude for
the dinner and the kind words, explaining some of the rewards
he found in the activities of the Foundation:

An avocation has become larger than a vocation for me*
Probably I have more fun than the people do. . . . This event

is going to spur me on to try to merit new confidence .

This is an opportunity to get something off my chest I've
wanted to say for a long time. This work that has been at-
tributed to me is something I have participated in in only
a small measure compared with others. A lot of it was
chance and good luck. Frank Manley was playing tennis
with me and we got to talking about boys' work in Detroit
146

and I told Frank I was interested we discussed a plan

for using school buildings. The board of education was quite
skeptical, but willing to try it out

I miss my guess if the people in this room have any idea
of how good the board of education is. Without their co-
operation, this program would never have got to first base.

Regarding Frank Manley, I think we could hunt all over
the country and I don't know where we would find a man
who approached him in ability and tenacity. He actually
puts over the program in such a big way and makes a suc-
cess of it.

When we were starting, we found lots of youngsters who
needed attention, and "the old judge" (Roy E. Brownell)
does more work than I do by a lot I'm away, and he stays
home and stands the gaff.

Mr. Lamb is another one of those regular guys . . . Jim
Olson (school health officer and head of the Mott health
program) is another brick, another one of the best. What
we want is health-corrected children.

And I want people to know the amount of work done by
these people — Dr. Fred Miner and the Kiwanis health camp,
the Rotary dub with crippled children; Judge Frank L.
McAvinchey of the Lions dub in furnishing glasses — he's
shooting down our alley, too, and is entitled to a lot of
credit; to Bill Knudsen here, in his Clara Elizabeth Fund;
Mr. William S. Ballenger who has provided and developed
that wonderful park on the west side; to Floyd Adams of
Detroit for starting our boys* camp idea, which was one of
the early things we had; and to Frank Farry, present Mott
camp director — the boys think he's the salt of the earth
and he's certainly doing a marvelous job.

All of these people have done things for which speakers
have given me credit, but it's those whose names I've men-
tioned who are entitled to the real tribute.

Many additional telegrams and letters added to the tributes,
A wire from Sloan said, "I am happy today to join the citizens
of Flint in extending to my old friend C. S. Mott all the best
wishes and recognition which he so richly deserves. We are all
indebted to him for having made Flint a better city in which to

live." A communication from Sen. A. H. Vandenberg said of
Mott, "He is a great American in his citizenship and his
humanities. He is great in his achievements for the common
good. He is loyal to his country, his conscience, and his friends.
I send him my sincerest greetings."

There were many other tributes, and a Flint Journal editorial
the following day summed up the appreciation aptly:

Seldom, if ever, has a heartier tribute been paid to a man
whose good works his friends and his community wished
to honor then when 550 men and women, all who could be
accommodated, gathered Tuesday night for an appreciation
dinner to Charles Stewart Mott

The evening will be a memorable one for all who attended,
as well as to Mr. and Mrs. Mott. The presence of each who
attended was an indication of personal feeling, and, in the
aggregate an expression in a rather official way of the com-
munity's thanks for the generosity, leadership, and kindly
interest which the Motts have shown Flint and its people. . . .

In his diary for the day, Mott notes,

I was extremely glad to have an opportunity to make a
number of remarks regarding the efforts and ability and suc-
cessful accomplishments of those who have co-operated in
making our program possible and who are working our side
of the street. I have from time to time tried to indicate my
feeling and regard for the above-mentioned, but there never
was or will be as good a chance to make the remarks that I
wanted to make regarding them as when I had such public
and undivided attention.

In the fall of 1939, the Mott Foundation Children's Health
Center at Hurley Hospital was able to implement the health-
achievement program by a plan providing essential medical
and dental care "for children of borderline indigent families/*
The purpose was to bridge the rather large economic gap
between families eligible for medical care as part of public
relief programs and families able to pay for medical attention
for their children. All full-time medical personnel were to be
pediatricians; the staff also included a part-time pediatrician,
248

examining general medical man, otologist, opthamologist, con-
sulting orthopedist, two full-time dentists, two dental hygienists,
nurse, dental assistant, audiometer technician, medical social
worker, and clerk. Children were considered for care as re-
ferred by public health nurses, Mott Foundation visiting
teachers, high school principals, Mother Superiors of parochial
schools, private physicians, and various social agencies. Each
child referred received a complete physical examination; if care
of any magnitude was indicated, the economic status of the
family was investigated through the medical social worker to
determine eligibility.

The integration of the functions of the health center with
the health-achievement program has provided a persistent and
well-rounded attack on the ills, defects, and threats to the
health of Flint children. The working budget of the Mott
Foundation Health Center has increased to an annual figure
exceeding $100,000 — and there is no real way of assessing the
total value of the services provided to the children in Flint over
the years.

For a publication of the Michigan Association for Health,
Physical Education, and Recreation, Manley summarized the
Mott Foundation program as it stood in 1939 in these words:

The Mott Foundation program has four essential parts:
recreation, adult education, camp for underprivileged boys,
and a clinic for children who need some corrective work but
whose parents are unable to finance the work.

Mr. C. S. Mott, who is president and founder of the Mott
Foundation, believes in using all the natural resources avail-
able in the city. This means not only the physical equipment,
such as school buildings and vacant lots, but also the latent
leadership which is to be found in every community among
the service clubs, chambers of commerce, and women's
groups. . . .

The Foundation is able to conduct, promote, and develop
a well rounded program in health, physical education, recrea-
tion, and safety by using all the resources possible in the city
of Flint

At this writing there are seventy different activities being

offered and practically everyone who wants to participate in
some constructive leisure time program has an opportunity
to do so.

There were 25,000 different participants who took part in
the program last winter. A good many more thousands en-
joyed a well rounded program of summer activities in the city
and some four hundred boys were sent to camp.

Through the four divisions of the Foundation there is an
unusual opportunity to put into practice the theories that
we, as health educators, have had for some time.

The Foundation began 1940 with another new approach
to community service: a plan whereby the courts would turn
certain probation cases over to the Mott Foundation visiting
teachers for investigation — with the thought that "through the
existing Mott program of education and recreation, many pro-
bationers would be encouraged to find interests and outlets for
their ambitions." Still another new activity was a series of
programs devoted to planning a new home — covering every-
thing from selection of a site to financing arrangements.

The March, 1940, issue of GM Folks, the magazine about
General Motors people everywhere, featured the Mott Founda-
tion with a cover picture — and thirty-six additional pictures
along with text to make up a dramatic story. Walter E. Scott,
a Flint reporter who had covered the very first Mott Founda-
tion activities, was managing editor of GM Folks and he took
special pride in this full-scale presentation of the Mott Founda-
tion's developments and objectives. In 1963, as a member of
Flint's board of education, Scott is still justly proud of the
1940 story in General Motors' national magazine, as he is of
subsequent Mott program developments.

In 1940, Mott arranged for the building of the Dr. J. A.
Rawlings Health Center in El Paso, honoring Mrs. Mott's
father, who had long provided medical attention for families in
need. The J. A. Rawlings Health Center building was dedicated
August 11, with Mrs. Mott, and her mother, Mrs. J. A. Raw-
lings, present at the ceremonies opening this most appropriate
memorial.

150

FIFTEEN

With the beginning of 1941, Flint was already changing over
to defense production. Even earlier, Knudsen had been called
from General Motors to the Government to help production
on a national scale. At a tribute dinner in Knudsen's honor,
Mott had been pleased to be selected to make the presentation
of gifts from Knudsen's General Motors associates.

Mott took a great interest in the transition to manufacture
of armaments in the General Motors plants, and kept himself
informed on the progress of developments. His diary notes a
visit to AC Spark Plug Division — then producing Browning
machine guns, on which they made delivery of the first thou-
sand almost a year ahead of schedule. Mott was also highly
active in United China Relief campaigns, in the course of which
Henry R. Luce, of Time, Life, and Fortune, visited Flint as a
guest at Applewood. Luce spoke at a United China Relief pro-
gram, and Mott matched each dollar contributed by those at-
tending.

In December, 1941, just two days before Pearl Harbor,
Mott accepted an Office of Production Management assign-
ment to help locate people with specialized experience and
ability to assist the national defense production program. While
in Washington, he visited Knudsen and observed, "He says he
is quite well and looks so, though his 19 months show some-
what in his face.'*

With the acceleration of war production, 1942 was a busy
year in Flint, although some temporary unemployment accom-
panied the big changeover. Increasingly, the Mott Foundation
adapted activities to the changing situation.

Mott took the initiative and called a meeting of prominent
and active Flint citizens, resulting in the organization of a War

151

Chest Board — reported to have been the first organized in the
United States — to handle financing of defense and war-
connected activities. F. A. Bower, the former Weston-Mott
engineer who had gone on to become chief engineer of Buick,
was appointed chairman, with Mott as chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee. Mott was appointed by Flint's mayor, Os-
mund Kelly, to the Flint Civilian Defense Council, which first
faced the task of enrolling, classifying, and training civilian-
defense volunteers.

At the annual Applewood dinner for the Flint Board of
Education, the adaptation of the Foundation-board of educa-
tion activities to civilian-defense needs was discussed. Mott* s
diary for February 9, 1942, reflects typical evening Foundation
activities in a Flint school:

At Central High School I found a tremendous amount of
activity in education program, largely on matters approved
by the Office of Civilian Defense. Large classes of mechanical
drawing, blueprint reading, shop work, and typewriting —
about 120 in a salesmanship class. The gym is in constant
use in physical training, etc. As a matter of fact, there is
not an hour in the day or evening when gymnasiums are not
in constant use. The swimming pool, of course, is in full
operation. Another group of men were training in singing,
and in the auditorium an entire cast for Civic Grand Opera.
On other evenings the program varies, including radio, elec-
tricity, organic chemistry, etc. There was one room in which
were located the counselors on job placement. There is an
income tax class, a French class, and a Spanish class. I am
sure that I have overlooked mentioning some that I saw,
besides some that I probably didn't see. Of course some-
thing similar, or different, is going on in all our large school
buildings.

An immediate civilian-defense need was 250 cots for use in
Flint hospitals in case of emergencies, and Mott financed the
cost of the cots, working closely with Dr. Gordon Bahlman, in
charge of the civilian-defense medical program.
152

On February 13, 1942, Susan Mott was six years old — and
on February 27, Susan and her brother Stewart, born Decem-
ber 4, 1937, welcomed a new baby sister, Maryanne Turnbull
Mott — to the great happiness of the whole f amily.

Mott Foundation personnel helped in every aspect of civilian-
defense and war-preparedness activities, from assisting in the
complex registration of volunteers to arranging and conducting
a multitude of training programs both for civilian defense and
for employment in war production. The emphasis on Ameri-
canization accelerated Foundation activities in citizenship
training, in which many aliens were assisted toward their
naturalization. The Foundation's counseling, training, and
placement service interviewed thousands of young people, help-
ing many of them to find jobs. The interest of both Mott and
Manley in physical fitness was also reflected in training activities
related to the war; it became self-evident to many people that
physical fitness was the necessary basis of usefulness, and there
"was a marked increase in the Foundation's enrollment in this
field. Specific classes in shop skills — blueprint reading, machine
•shop, drafting, and other similar courses — were very popular.

Manley was appointed Chief of Volunteer Participation, the
aspect of civilian defense related to community organization,
training, and morale. City Manager George Gundry headed the
protective services, including air raid wardens and related
emergency groups making up the rest of the civilian-defense
program, with City Planner George C. Hayward as executive
director for the whole organization, reporting to the Flint
Council of Defense. Quite naturally, the facilities, experience,
and organization of the Foundation adapted ideally to civilian-
defense training.

A 1942 Foundation development of importance was exten-
sion of the adult education program to include college-level
classes for credit

In the fall of 1 942, the Bureau of Government of the Univer-
sity of Michigan published a brief study of the Mott Foundation
in its series of Michigan Pamphlets, under the title: An Ex-

153

periment in Community Improvement. This twenty-nine page
booklet, written by Robert S. Ford, director of the bureau of
government, and Frances H. Miner, reviewed and appraised
the Foundation's activities. It concludes with an excellent
thumbnail-sketch of the Foundation in 1942.

The program now being carried on in Flint is unique in
several respects, of which the following are perhaps the most
important. First, it developed in response to definite needs
of the city and expanded only when it became evident that
new activities could be administered in an effective and
efficient manner. Second, the organization and administration
of the Mott program and of various community agencies have
been co-ordinated in such a manner as to achieve the greatest
efficiency in operation. For example, the director of the Mott
recreational program is also the supervisor of physical educa-
tion in the school system. The director of the Mott Children's
Health Center is director of health in the public schools. The
health achievement program in the public schools is super-
vised by the director of health of the public schools and the
director of nursing for the city Health Department. The Mott
visiting teachers co-operate closely with the city and country
public health nurses. An important person in the administra-
tion of all aspects of the program is the superintendent of
schools. Other illustrations could be mentioned, but these will
suffice to show the type of community co-operation and cen-
tralized administration that is necessary to carry out a compre-
hensive program. Third, the use of existing facilities in the
community, both material and organizational, reduces the cost
and increases the effectiveness of the program. Being tax-
supported, the schools are the common property of the people
of the city, and they have the additional advantage of being
natural locations for community centers. Finally, the Mott
program shows the possibility of co-operation between pri-
vate and public agencies, of private funds superimposed upon
and partly administered by municipal organizations, and its
object is not only to accomplish results in Flint, but to serve
as an example for other communities by showing how an
improvement of community life may be effected. In general,
154

this program emphasizes the importance of health, education,
wholesome activity, good citizenship, and the kind of de-
mocracy that comes from the intermingling of many kinds of
people in their leisure time.

When there are added to this review the special emphasis
of the Foundation on civilian defense, Americanization, and
other developments heightened by the war — and the opening of
a college division — the result is an accurate picture of the
Mott Foundation as it entered 1943 with a $140,000 budget
for the year's operations.

Flint's war-connected activities were accelerated through
the Foundation's program in 1943 — particularly in the varied
fields of civilian backing for the war effort through Flint's
Neighborhood War Clubs, a remarkable accomplishment in
community organization as part of civilian defense. F. A.
Bower was chairman of this project, and the Mott Foundation
made many essential contributions to its success. Typical of the
Foundation's help was sponsorship of classes and demonstra-
tions in canning foods. The block-sized clubs throughout all
parts of Flint — along with the completely democratic organ-
ization and training of air raid wardens and other protective-
service groups of civilian defense — gave a quality of mutuality
and unity to Flint's war effort which could scarcely have been
achieved otherwise.

The death, on June 20, 1943, of Frank G. Farry, Mott
Camp Director, was a serious loss to the Foundation program.
A man genuinely dedicated to boys' work, Farry had been
effective beyond the power of most men in influencing the lives
of many thousands of boys constructively. Joseph Grady be-
came Director of Mott Camp, and the work continued.

In the spring of 1943, Lieutenant-General Knudsen visited
Flint to present the commencement speech to General Motors
Institute graduates. General and Mrs. Knudsen were house
guests at Applewood while in Flint, and Mott notes in his diary
that General Knudsen's address was "one of the best I ever
heard him give."

155

Mott has never been more active than during these war
years — and his diary reflects the amazing scope of his activities
in the Foundation, civilian defense, war chest, and in his widen-
ing industrial and business interests. His diaries include dis-
cussions of the progress of the war, many references to the
progress of industry in war production, and continuing concern
with Flint's social problems. Through all this multitude of
activities, Mott's concern for all members of his family is also
reflected in every page of his diary — which is, in effect, a
remarkable kind of newsletter written for the benefit of his
children and other members of his family and his closest
friends. On June 20, 1943, for example, Mott records the
christening of daughter Maryanne.

Reverend Jackson took Maryanne in his arms, dipped his
hand in the fount three times and anointed her head and made
the sign of the Cross on her forehead. Then Maryanne de-
cided to take part in (he proceedings and stretched out to
dip her own hand in the fount, which Reverend Jackson per-
mitted her to do, and she anointed her own head, repeating
this operation twice, rather to the entertainment of the on-
lookers. It was undoubtedly very unusual and it was a lot
better than having her howling and protesting — as a matter
of fact she made quite a hit

A few days later, there is a detailed report of visits to Mott
Camp and to Hamady House. Another of Mott's special char-
acteristics emerging clearly from the pages of the diary is his
consistent fondness for animals. Perhaps the most amazing
features of all in his diaries are the conversations reported there
— because Mott has always been discussing an infinite variety
of subjects with the people around him, and reports of many of
those conversations find their way into the diary. Most of all,
the diaries are evidence of the myriads of friends Mott has
made everywhere; they remember him, and he remembers
them.

Among those friends, none has been closer than Roy Brow-
nell — and when Mott is in Flint, there is seldom a day's diary
756

report without a reference to time spent with Brownell. Con-
ferences with Manley are almost as frequently reported. The
diary also recounts the details of daily life — the many activities
of Mrs. Mott, including her participation in Red Cross, child
welfare board, Junior League, and other civic organizations —
and the doings of the three younger children — along with
letters from the older children — reflecting Mott's pride and
pleasure in his family. Any single year's diary would constitute
a volume at least half the size of this one.

As Flint industry increased war production, there were more
and more jobs. Many women went to work in the shops, and
new juvenile-delinquency problems were created. The problem
became increasingly acute, with so many unsupervised children
throughout the city. The Foundation assisted in the develop-
ment of nursery schools to care for small children whose
mothers were employed.

Victory gardens, nutrition, rationing, salvage, child care,
physical fitness, and allied efforts were approached through the
neighborhood war clubs and the Mott Foundation in a city-
wide cooperative endeavor. The Mott Foundation precedents
were of inestimable value in trail-blazing for the block-plan
clubs, and the backing of the Foundation was a major factor
in the development of these neighborhood meeting groups —
one of the truly democratic dividends of the war effort, as Flint
neighbors learned to know each other and to work together
for common purposes.

The board of education and the Foundation undertook to
organize boys' clubs in a number of areas in the city. For girls,
the Stepping Stone program was expanded. Practical nursing
courses, and the opportunities offered by the college division of
the Foundation, were other comparatively new programs that
received wide acceptance in late 1943. In the college division,
the second semester, opening January 10, 1944, added ten
more instructors and seventeen additional courses, making the
total number of courses forty.

In April, 1944, the Mott Foundation purchased "Flint's

157

Skyscraper" — the sixteen-story Union Industrial Building —
in pursuance of a policy of investing in income-producing
properties to assure the continuing endowment of the Foun-
dation. Mott and Brownell represented the Foundation in this
purchase from the Flint Depositors Corporation. The building
— which had been built in 1929 at a reported cost of $1.7
million — was purchased for $525,000; it was bringing in
$33,000 annual income.

Father Flanagan, of Boys Town, visited Flint in the spring
of 1944; he praised the efforts of the city and the Mott Foun-
dation, noting that "... all cities are not as blessed with civic
consciousness as this one with its Mayor Kelly and Mr. C. S.
Mott." Local youth agency leaders discussed Flint's problems
with Father Flanagan, and as a result, the Mott Foundation,
Probate Court, YMCA, Flint Guidance Center, schools, Junior
Chamber of Commerce, and Flint Optimist Club began plan-
ning for a Flint version of the Big Brother movement for Flint.
As a result of the conference with Father Flanagan, the Mott
Foundation worked with other Flint agencies in establishment
of the Flint Youth Bureau, and Joseph T. Ryder was employed
as director. In addition to the efforts of the Foundation in this
field for a number of years, the Junior Chamber of Commerce
and the Optimist Club had been working in the same direction.
Mott, who introduced Father Flanagan at a chamber-of-com-
merce luncheon, indicated the full cooperation of the Foun-
dation in implementing a program for Flint boys.

Another 1944 development was the institution of a pilot
project at Martin School, with additional teachers to bring the
pupil-teacher ratio down to an approved figure, and the use
of complete testing and individualized instruction methods as
recommended by educators. Foundation funds made possible
the additional teacher personnel for this "model school" demon-
stration.

At the end of the 1943-1944 health-achievement program,
8,571 or 48.2 per cent of the 17,782 children participating
were found to be free of dental defects, as announced by Miss
758

Cornelia Mulder, school health coordinator. Miss Mulder, a
dental hygienist with the health achievement program from
the beginning, has been a directing force in the whole health
program. The 1944 health-guarded child figure was 5,785— or
30.08 per cent of those participating — free of correctable
physical defects. In addition, 2,129 free miniature X rays had
been provided for high school students in the year, in coopera-
tion with the Genesee County Tuberculosis Association.

Mott had been interested in the activities of Goodwill Indus-
tries, providing employment for handicapped people, for some
time, and early in 1944 he planned with Brownell and the
local Goodwill Industries manager to improve the organiza-
tion's operations in Flint. Mott was also concerned with the
problem of returning veterans, and conferred with Russel V.
Somes, supervisor of the Industrial Mutual Association's Vet-
erans Service Department in working out cooperative arrange-
ments for rehabilitation, training, and education for veterans in
which the Foundation could be of assistance. Mott also invited
President Ruthven of the University of Michigan to Flint to
discuss such plans.

Increasingly, Mott felt that employment of mothers of young
children often left the children without proper care or super-
vision— and, in effect, created the kind of basic situation lead-
ing to juvenile delinquency. It was clear to him that this policy
on the part of industry was at cross-purposes with the efforts of
such a community as Flint to improve home conditions for
children and reduce the causes of delinquency. He wrote a
letter, on June 5, 1944, to the board of directors of General
Motors Corporation. The letter states, in part:

Re: Working mothers of children
under fourteen years of age
Gentlemen:

Due to hiring of the above without investigation of home
conditions and results produced, juvenile delinquency, neglect,
and distress of children affected have increased intolerably
all over the country.

159

Through Mr. Frank Manley of the Mott Foundation and
Flint School System, we have, during the past year, investi-
gated many homes of delinquent and maladjusted children.
Out of a group of one hundred — 65 boys and 35 girls — we
found that fifty-one cases came from broken homes. In fifty-
five cases both parents were working outside the homes. Only
seventeen indicated any affiliation with any church. We have
detailed case history of all of them

I am not asking that you refuse to employ any of these
women, nor do I ask the Corporation to go to the trouble or
expense of making home investigations. But — I do suggest
that you adopt a policy of refusing to employ any of them
who do not bring with them a proper certificate, signed by
a proper social agency, to the effect that the hiring of this
woman will not seriously harm her children. In Flint, such
social agencies are already in existence and undoubtedly most
of the families in question are already on file.

If you don't care to adopt the above policy at once, I ask
that you refer the matter to your Management with request
that complete Study and Report be made to Directors at early
date.

Subsequently, General Motors adopted such a plan in Flint,
and later the Administration Committee of General Motors
Corporation unanimously resolved, "that Vice-President H.
W. Anderson is requested to contact all divisions of the corpo-
ration and explain the plan which is now in operation in the
Flint area in regard to the employment of mothers having
children under fourteen years of age, and advise the divisions
that it is the wish of this committee that similar action be taken
by them."

On November 2, 1944, Mott attended a banquet sponsored
by the Flint Chamber of Commerce to honor the establishment
in Flint of a University of Michigan Extension Center. Univer-
sity of Michigan President Alexander Ruthven — a man Mott
has always admired greatly — was the principal speaker. The
printed program for the evening was headed: "With the advent
of the University of Michigan Extension Center combined with
160

the College Division of the Mott Foundation already in exist-
ence, Flint's educational opportunities have been broadened to
meet the requirements of all adults in the community.*' Gyles
Merrill reported to the group Mott's interest, activity, and
support of the University of Michigan Extension Center, and
presented a handsome plaque honoring Mott for "significant
contributions to our community life "

Mott responded to this completely unexpected tribute by
explaining that the Foundation's activities in adult education,
health, and recreation were an expression of his concern for
the city where he had spent thirty-eight years of his life. He
spoke, also, of his friendship for President Ruthven, and others
of the University of Michigan staff, and of the gratification
provided by the University's establishment of these new adult
education facilities. Mott said in simple terms that he got more
real pleasure from his participation in the whole program than
from anything he did in business or personal recreation.

The Flint Journal of November 9, 1944, noted that the
Mott Foundation was providing $17,500 to the Flint Board
of Education to buy the old post office building in downtown
Flint at Kearsley and Harrison Streets as a permanent head-
quarters for social agencies and perhaps one or more school
offices. The other building purchased earlier in the same year
by the Mott Foundation — the former Union Industrial Building
— was renamed the Mott Foundation Building effective Jan-
uary 1, 1945.

161

SIXTEEN

June 2, 1945, was Mott's seventieth birthday. He received con-
gratulatory messages from near and far. In his diary for the
day, Mott comments, "Having now reached the mature age of
three score and ten I suppose I am expected to be put up on
the shelf, but I have many friends from 10 to 25 years older
than I am who are still hustling around, so I don't expect there
is much chance for me to quit."

During 1945, Frank Manley compiled a comprehensive re-
view of the Mott Foundation after ten years of operation. This
study is much more fully developed than the University of
Michigan booklet of 1942, and it includes more of the under-
lying factors leading to the initiation and evolution of the many
aspects of Foundation activities. The introduction to the study
presents the important social problems the Foundation was
created to meet. Other sections of the report cover recreation
and child welfare, adult education, guidance and counseling,
child health, camping and club programs — and it concludes
with a summary and a look ahead. A few quotations demon-
strate the clear vision and deep feeling Manley has always had
toward improvement of opportunity for people of every age,
and in every situation — with particular concern for the young.

This study will trace the community needs which the Mott
Foundation program in Flint has been attempting to meet,
the adjustments in thinking, planning, and executing of plans
to meet emerging and changing needs, the progressive de-
velopment of the program, its objectives and philosophy, its
expanding scope, and the policies and procedures used in
carrying it out

Juvenile delinquency and other forces making for social
disintegration — highlighted and intensified because of war —
are causing increasing concern. Much study is currently being
162

given to the problem of what shall be our dynamic philosophy
of education. Questions such as these are being asked: should
the schools assume social leadership and share with parents,
social workers, and citizens in general the responsibility for a
constructive reorganization of forces — an effective concentra-
tion of community resources upon problems of children,
youth, and adults? Can the public school — that most Amer-
ican of all institutions — make any progress in restoring to
our complex lives something of the community interest, the
neighborly spirit, and the democracy of a more rural day?
Can the public school — utilized as a real community center
— serve as a focal point from which influence and leadership
can radiate for community good, and through which the
efforts of other public and private agencies can be integrated
— thus helping to neutralize the disintegrating forces of mod-
ern urban life?

... by studying the development and pattern of one ten-
year experiment it is hoped significant trends, strengths, and
limitations may be revealed. Through the generosity and
vision of a local citizen, Mr. Charles Stewart Mott, the schools
of Flint have had a unique opportunity for a demonstration
of the effective use of existing school and community facil-
ities

. . . leaders in the field of education are more and more
emphatically proclaiming that we cannot separate the wel-
fare and social integration of the child from the welfare and
social integration of the various members of the home, of
the individual adult in his environment, and of the family with
the community at large To achieve the goal of social plan-
ning in a democracy — building a community in which every
individual, regardless of race or creed or color, may enjoy
equal opportunity for fullest self-development — democracy
has always put its trust primarily in three institutions: the
home, the school, and the church What is the responsi-
bility and opportunity of the school in integrating, coordinat-
ing, and interpreting the social and educational resources of
a community to those who need these services — in short, in
acting as a bridge between those who have needs and those
agencies and individuals who wish to serve?

163

Mauley outlines the social history of Flint, and describes
the circumstances leading to the establishment of the first Mott
Foundation recreational activities in 1935. He points out that
the Foundation had adapted with ready flexibility through three
periods: the depression, the conversion to wartime living, and
the postwar readjustment — always working with, and through,
the other institutions and agencies of the community. As to the
appropriate role of the school, Manley remarks that the Mott
Foundation is unique among foundations as "the only one
which actually underwrites the public school in its efiort to
provide a wider scope of service for all children, youth and
adults in the community.**

The study continues with a detailed report of the origin,
evolution, and (as of 1945) current status of each division of
the Foundation program — demonstrating the fact that "shift-
ing of emphasis to meet changing needs has been a definite
basic principle of operation throughout." Another fact demon-
strated is that "the general method of operation sometimes
involves plans to finance a total program, sometimes to finance
part of a program, and sometimes to fill in the gap where there
is a specific need and later to withdraw support when the job
has been completed or is being accomplished by another
group." Illustrations are offered in which, after the Foundation
had shown the value of a program, other agencies or institu-
tions have carried on the work. Manley comments, "The Foun-
dation feels it has been most successful when this sort of thing
happens/' He also states, "Clearly, the Mott program tries to
show the possibility of co-operation between private and public
agencies and of die use of private funds administered by a
municipal organization; namely, the public schools. Its primary
object is not only to accomplish results in Flint, but to serve
as an example for other communities by showing how an im-
provement in community life may be co-operatively effected."*

The Foundation's annual budget had increased from a com-
paratively small figure in 1935 to $200,000. Other 1945 Foun-
dation developments included the opening of the Flint Inter-
164

racial Community Center, with this stated objective: "The
purpose of the Center shall be to work toward the im-
provement of better living, working, and playing conditions in
the city of Flint, Michigan, between the races, in the fields of
recreation, social, moral, and civic affairs by co-ordinating and
supplementing such services to provide the best possible serv-
ices to the community regardless of race, creed, color, or reli-
gious affiliations."

There was also a marked expansion of the health-education
and services program, a veterans' educational-counseling serv-
ice established at Flint Junior College, and initiation of a
junior high school sports program.

Early in 1946, Harding Mott — promoted to major in the
Army Air Force shortly before termination of his military
services — began devoting much of his time to Foundation
activities, along with assisting his father in widely varied
business interests. In January, 1946, the Foundation received
an award of meritorious service from Donald S. Leonard, state
director of civilian defense, "in recognition of extraordinary
and outstanding service in Civilian Defense during World
War II."

The February, 1946, issue of the Michigan Education Jour-
nal printed a six-page report of the success of the Mott Foun-
dation project at Flint's Martin Elementary School. The report
noted that after two years — with two additional teachers and
a full-time clerk provided by the Mott Foundation — the school
"advanced in educational achievement, from twenty-second
place to sixth place among Flinf s twenty-six elementary
schools." The primary factor had been reduction of the pupil-
teacher ratio to 30-1. In addition, the report points out,
teachers changed as much as the pupils, feeling renewed
dedication to the opportunity to do a better job with smaller
classes. L. A. Lundburg, assistant superintendent in charge of
research and statistics, is quoted as saying, "Teachers certainly
responded to the program, doing many things they felt they
had wanted to do but had been prevented from doing by the

165

serious pupa overload." The Martin 6A class — after two years
of the demonstration of "reasonable" conditions — tied for the
first place among all Flint elementary schools, showing in six-
teen school months progress equivalent to that normally ex-
pected in twenty-seven months.

This demonstration is typical of one of the directions Mott
Foundation activities were to take in the next period of years —
pilot projects in improved educational methods, development
of the school as the heart of effective community integration.

On August 29, 1946, Mott joined a great many old friends
in celebrating C. F. Kettering's seventieth birthday at Ketter-
ing's birthplace farm, a few miles from Loudenville, Ohio. Mott
made the journey with one of his closest friends, H. H. Curtice.
The celebration is reported in detail in Mott's diary.

This farm is where Kettering's parents lived and where
Kettering was born. He still owns the property and has it
operated. They had originally expected 50 or 100 people, but
the party at the farm grew to 500. We found Ket receiving
guests in the bam where he had worked as a youngster

We had a very nice country dinner. Afterwards there was
some talking from the top of a farm wagon where there was
also a small piano, and Ket and three of his high school class-
mates sang their class song. ... In the course of time we were
taken in to Loudenville where in the large public park there
was a stage set up, a band, and a large number of seats for
the audience. A number of us from out of town sat on the
platform for a while during which Col. E. A. Deeds intro-
duced us and told something of Kefs history. Then we

moved down to the lower level A pageant was given on

the stage depicting the conditions during Kefs youth — .

At 4:00 o'clock there was more speech making, but every-
thing was in the clear at 4:30 when broadcaster Tom Manning
took over for a so-called national hookup on the air, describ-
ing what was going on, and then introducing Ket, who made
a remarkable talk about conditions in general.

Then came a parade, passing between the first row of the
band, of real old fashioned carriages, wagons, and equestrians.
Then the early hand-cranked automobiles the last of which

166

was the single-cylinder Cadillac. And then a parade of the
very latest models, 1946

Among those present was Col. E. A. Deeds — he is about
72 years old and is Chairman of the Board of the National
Cash Register Company. I knew him during World War One,
and ever since, and he is extremely friendly with me. He and
Ket started the Delco some 40 years ago, and the starter and
lighting system were first invented and first produced in Deeds*

barn 1 also met Orvflle Wright, whom I have known for

a long time. He celebrated his 75th birthday last week, I be-
lieve. He is the surviving brother of the Wrights who flew the
first plane at Kitty Hawk.

In the presence of Wright and others I told the following
story. Some ten or fifteen years ago I was attending a large
gathering, when suddenly I was surrounded by six or eight
very charming and effusive young women who showered every
attention upon me. My chest and head began to swell, and I
was wondering how I had acquired this wonderful appeal and
power over women, when one of them made a remark to me
including the name of Mr. Wright. I very foolishly said, "But
I am not Mr. Wright; my name is Mott," and the speed with
which those girls deserted me in search of the right Mr.
Wright completely dissipated my illusion.

My old friend Lt. General Bill Kmidsen was there, now in
civilian clothes, and I had a nice talk with him. ... He told
me now he has 11 grandchildren. . . *

Other Foundation developments in 1946-1947 included in-
service training of teachers, for a new approach to the work of
health education and of the visiting teachers. A special home-
making program was instituted to assist war brides — and en-
larged programs in English and civics were established to help
displaced persons and war brides. A basketball program for all
junior high school boys was organized, and a demonstration
physical education program for elementary schools was begun.
A special lecture series, "Building Your Marriage," was jointly
sponsored by the Mott Foundation, the Clara Elizabeth Fund,
the Flint Council of Churches, and the YWCA. Another ex-
perimental course, "The Charming Woman," presented dis-

767

cussions and demonstrations in the elements of charm — styling,
walking, comportment, speech, dieting, hygiene.

A grant of $2,400 was made by the Mott Foundation to the
University of Michigan to support a graduate program in the
Department of Pediatrics for a physician who could serve in the
Flint school health program after two years of study. An
audiometer technician was added to the staff at the Mott
Foundation Children's Health Center. Mott recreation super-
visor, Harold Bacon, was invited to visit Brazil on a good-
will tour, demonstrating Foundation recreational and physical
education techniques. This 1946-1947 program worked on a
$214,304 budget, exploring new areas of services as needs
emerged. With the Flint Institute of Arts, the Foundation
sponsored lecture courses on art for appreciation, understand-
ing, and enjoyment of both classic and modern painting. The
first annual inter-cultural banquet was held at the Flint Inter-
racial Community Center, with Dr. Gilbert Jones, of Wilber-
force University, as the speaker.

In 1947, Mott was awarded the Stevens Institute of Tech-
nology Alumni Award Medallion; the presentation was made
by alumni president Herman K. Interman. Stevens' President
Harvey N. Davis was the principal speaker; Mott was rec-
ognized for his loyalty and devotion, and for his helpful guid-
ance and enthusiastic support of the college. Several months
later, Mott attended the fiftieth anniversary dinner of the
Stevens Class of '97. He dedicated the new Charles Stewart
Mott Field House which the Mott Foundation had contributed
to Stevens Institute.

Less than a month later, Mott received the Forney W.
Clement Memorial Award by Kiwanis, "In recognition of out-
standing service." Mott notes in his diary for the day:

Of course I had to say something in acceptance, and so
I said that I assumed that the award had something to do
with the activities of our Foundation, and I compared the
program to a motor truck of which the Board of Education
was the body and Frank Manley was the engine which did all
168

of the work, and the Foundation simply furnished the gas-
oline; therefore, Frank Manley, who is the hardest working
chap in the community on things for the general good, was
really entitled to the award, and that in accepting it I took it
for the work that he had accomplished.

Another 1947 diary entry indicates the admiration of Mott
for Charles Wetherald, who had been made manager of U.S.
Sugar Company.

Our new manager, Charles Wetherald, who until a couple
of years ago was Production Manager of Chevrolet, producing
a billion dollars worth of war materials per armnm during the
war, and over a million cars per annum pre-war, is an expert
in agriculture, cattle raising, and factory management. He has
already greatly improved operations and reduced costs, and
this year our sugar production will be greater than we ever
produced, probably 100,000 tons.

The fall of 1947 brought additional Foundation activities —
expansion of evening classes, organization of a Stepping Stone
Mothers Club at Lincoln School, and the beginning of a Fair-
view School pilot project. The genuineness of community need
and interest was demonstrated by ever-increasing enrollments
and requests for new courses. Other parts of the program were
continuing with wider and wider acceptance and participation.
Adult education and recreation . . . summer recreation and
safety activities . . . athletic programs for boys and girls . . .
the college division . . . practical nurses* training . . . vocational
guidance and job placement . . . citizenship and naturalization
classes . . . veterans' institute for education and counseling . . .
the visiting teachers ... the Flint Youth Bureau ... the exper-
imental education demonstration at Martin School ... an
experimental study conducted at McKinley Elementary and
Junior High School to consider the needs of boys and girls from
kindergarten through the ninth grade, with possible curriculum
changes or adjustments . . . Hamady House homemaking dem-
onstrations and Stepping Stone Club program . . . Mott Camp

169

. . . health guidance and protection . . . special education
classes . . . and other activities.

The 1948 winter term adult education courses — including
the college division, high school division, and general courses
— covered a wide scope of interests. There were courses in
economics, accounting, political science, psychology, mental
hygiene, child development, food preparation, sewing, beau-
tifying the home, money management for the family, problems
of international relations, music appreciation, effective speak-
ing, correct English, Spanish, photography, creative writing,
crafts workshop, water color painting, Braille reading and
writing — plus vocational and business courses.

Mott's diary, his personal "five-foot book-shelf," continues
in great detail, demonstrating Mott's amazing interest in every
aspect of the world around him. There are countless stories of
the doings of the three younger children — and reports of the
activities of the three older children and other family members
and friends. There is constant evidence of Mott's kind of
responsible personal management; he believes in employing
the finest of specialized management for his interests, and he
also believes in and practices complete personal participation
in those interests himself; this applies equally to the operation
of the Foundation, and the water companies, sugar company,
department stores, bank, and other business interests. He has
always accepted very seriously his responsibilities as a director
of General Motors, along with other assignments he has carried
out for that corporation. Such personal management does not
mean taking responsibility and decision away from the execu-
tives employed; it does mean that, in the director function at
the policy-making level, Mott believes in getting all the facts for
himself in order best to direct and advise the major policies of
operation so that executives have fully informed and intelli-
gent backing.

Nothing has delighted Mott more than finding and develop-
ing able executives. His appreciation of Wetherald has been
noted. He found another such excellent executive, Victor Weir,
T70

as chief engineer of one of the water companies, and broadened
Weir's responsibilities to include a strong hand in the direction
of all the water companies. Mott's fact gathering, and attend-
ance at directors' meetings of all these interests have always
involved a great deal of travel — and while traveling, Mott en-
gages in conversations with many people, often reporting the
incidents in his diary. There are also forceful expressions of
Mott's own beliefs on national and international affairs,
economics, physical fitness, behavior, science, and industry.
He has lived up to that obligation of the civilized man to know
something about everything, and to have a point of view toward
everything. At the same time, he has always had an acute
sense of the congruities, and there are many jokes and anec-
dotes in the diary reflecting a highly active sense of humor.

In September, 1948, the former old post office building was
formally opened as the Flint Community Service Center —
housing a number of Flint Community Chest agencies. Mott
had provided the funds with which the Flint Board of Educa-
tion had purchased the building, and the dedication ceremonies
included presentation of a portrait of Mott (arranged for by
a group of his friends) to be displayed in the building. When
Mott saw the portrait, he announced that he would "have to
go to the art institute and have the artist paint me up so I
would look as good as the picture.'*

A December diary entry mentions a discussion of some thirty
acres of Mott's estate fronting on Court Street:

I was very busy and almost forgot a luncheon date with
Harding to meet Superintendent of Schools Mark Bills, Man-
ley, and the School Board Committee at noon at the City

Club I told the school folks that if they would put up a

modern school there, I would give them the property The

school must be rather different from schools built in the past.
In other words, it must be functional in every respect and not
an architectural, unfunctional monstrosity. The size of the
grounds will permit plenty of athletic fields, parking facilities,
etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised in the far distant future if

171

the entire balance of our Applewood property found its way
into the hands of the Board of Education — when the Mott
family no longer cares to use it for themselves.

This vision of the functional school, coupled with another
exploratory program then being conducted by the Foundation
at Fairview School, suggests the larger community-school con-
cept toward which the Foundation and Flint were moving.

The comprehensive annual report of Mott Foundation activ-
ities for 1947-1948 devotes thirteen pages to the Fairview
pilot project School and Foundation resources were concen-
trated on this elementary school in a highly industrialized sec-
tion of Flint bounded on the west and south by the Buick
Motor Division and on the east by the Flint River. Housing
conditions were crowded, and there were few play areas and
wholesome recreational centers. Of the 393 children in the
school 92 per cent were Negro. A few quotations from the
report present a glimpse of the tremendous undertaking pro-
posed.

In the Fairview District, the serious-minded parents who
want better things for their children find life a continual strug-
gle to combat destructive influences. Children whose parents
have long since bowed to prevailing conditions come to school
in a poor state of nutrition and health, with serious behavior
problems and little hope for the fuure.

The principal, staff, and consultants . . . decided upon six
areas of special need and proposed to do whatever they could
during the year to:

Survey the community needs and then attempt to meet
them . . . interest community members in greater co-operation
. . . re-evaluate the curriculum and make necessary changes
. . . improve health conditions . . . provide activities that would
lessen frustration and aggression and substitute accomplish-
ments, satisfaction, and happiness . . . work toward better
understanding of children.

Home calls were made to discover housing, types of em-
ployment, family income, educational and social backgrounds,
religion, attitudes, diets, adult education interest . . . Above
772

all, the teachers of Fairview School have a feeling of great

kindness for humanity They attempt at all times to create

a warm "class room climate" where there is good rapport
among all individuals, where there is mutual respect and un-
derstanding. . . . During the year many consultants have given

generously of time, interest, and special skills Fairview

staff members spent much time on curriculum study ... de-
veloping a curriculum to fit community needs

Every effort has been made through the year to improve
the health of the children The number of "Health-
Guarded" children at Fairview has increased dramatically as
the result of the concentrated efforts of all concerned. The
highest previous percentage was 11.5%. This year it was
57.5% During the winter season, Fairview children pur-
chased 533 bottles of milk, and 2,747 were distributed free
through the co-operation of the Community Fund

During the year, twenty clubs have been organized as extra-
curricular programs to furnish wholesome leisure time activ-
ities and more constructive experience in the hope of lessen-
ing frustration. . . . Visiting teacher services to Fairview School
have been carried on in two ways: personal service to chil-
dren, and teacher in-service training. . . . The adult education
program was available for any possible service to the parents
of the neighborhood. Planning meetings with various groups
of mothers were held at the beginning of the year to plan a
study and service program which they felt might be most
helpful to them. Objectives were sociability, friendship, under-
standing A table cloth and tea set were provided for use

at meetings, with different mothers acting as hostesses

There were service programs — a sewing day to help remodel,
alter, and repair children's clothes, assistance with the cos-
tumes for the Christmas play, the Tuberculosis Chest X-ray
program, the Health Achievement program, etc. . . .

These excerpts give only a partial reflection of the total effort
at Fairview to make the school the true center of a community
which had had no meaningful relationship to the school — or
to any real community center — before.

The Mott Foundation's educational explorations were break-

173

ing down the wall between the home and the school. The Fair-
view project was one of several special educational attempts to
relate the school and the community in the most effective
fashion; re-evaluation of school curriculum was one such area
of consideration, so that what the school would teach would
be truly relevant to the needs of the people being taught.

In March, 1949, thirty-nine educators from colleges visited
Flint to review the Mott Foundation program, and reported
something like amazement at the scope and down-to-earth
effectiveness of the activities. Mott outlined the Foundation's
basic purposes to the visitors at Hamady Clubhouse, and they
had an opportunity to observe the Stepping Stone program for
girls. They visited Fairview School, and learned something
about the project there from Miss Josephine McDougall, the
principal. Cooperation between the Foundation and the
schools in the health program was explained by Miss Cornelia
Mulder, coordinator of health education. Dr. Arthur L. Tuuri,
director of the Mott Foundation Children's Health Center,
outlined the several aspects of the health program. Joseph T.
Ryder told the visiting educators about the Flint Youth Bureau,
and Walter S. Holmlund detailed the operation of the visiting
teachers' work. The educators — who had come from five state
colleges and educational agencies — also visited the Interracial
Community Center and adult education classes at several
schools. They heard about the Mott Camp, and the boys'
baseball program — and some of them attended a recreation
square dancing class.

This tour by a fairly large group, coming to Flint to learn
ways and means of improving educational methods, was the
forerunner of increasing numbers of visitors from almost every-
where who have wanted to see the many-sided Foundation
program in action.

174

SEVENTEEN

June 1, 1950, on the eve of Charles Stewart Mott's seventy-
fifth birthday, Flint held a birthday party in his honor at the
Industrial Mutual Association auditorium. The Flint Board of
Education was the official sponsor of this diamond jubilee
birthday party — but it was community-wide in participation:
everyone was invited to attend, and more than 5,000 people
did so. A pageant presented scenes from Mott's life, under the
title, "Portrait of an American," with text read by the author,
Miss Ola Hiller, to a background of music. Mott was shown as
a schoolboy, as a sailor, as mayor of Flint, as an industrialist —
and in relation to a cluster of Foundation activities. Then Mott
was presented with a portrait of himself surrounded by a mon-
tage of typical Foundation scenes — a picture painted by Al
Washington, who had received his early art training in the
Foundation program.

In response, Mott read a brief statement he had prepared in
advance — because, as he notes in his diary, "I would have been
too dizzy to make these remarks extemporaneously, and I had
a definite message I wanted to put across, so I wrote it out
and read it."

This is a wonderful party and I wish to express my thanks
and appreciation to everyone who has had a part in it, and
also Frank Manley and Ms staff and the Flint Board of Educa-
tion and Co-ordinating Committee without whose activity
and co-operation the so-called Mott program could not have
existed.

While not wanting to depreciate your compliment to me,
I cannot but feel that this is a great moment in the life of Flint
when the attention of Flint folks is directed to what can be
accomplished here by a Board of Education, and a model

175

furnished which can be copied by other community organiza-
tions.

Through the School Board's activities Flint has been sup-
plied with a health program for children, and recreational
and educational facilities for adults as well as children, includ-
ing post-graduate courses through co-operation of the Uni-
versity of Michigan.

Now comes Flinf s great opportunity to approve a Bond
Issue to build more and needed educational buildings, includ-
ing a couple of modern and functional elementary schools,
and improvement of Junior College.

A study of Flint's Social Science Research shows that in
Genesee County there are a couple of thousand young folk
who desire the elements of a college education, but because of
economic conditions cannot afford to stand the expense of
living out of their homes.

It has shown the great desirability of the establishment here
in Flint of a Four Year Community College or branch of the
University, and I have been authorized by our Trustees to say
that if you will approve the proposed bond issue and if such
college facilities can be provided, our Foundation will be de-
lighted to contribute land and/or funds to the amount of a
million dollars, and it is our very great ambition that you
will do this.

We note that a fine new library is proposed which we hope
win be located on your new Civic Center.

This wonderful night and the work that has been done is
the result of hard work and intensive effort on the part of hun-
dreds of individuals in Mr. Mauley's organization, and I can't
close without expressing to them my heartfelt appreciation.

Again I thank you all for this wonderful celebration and
hope thai; with your co-operation, Flint will become the real
Model City to be copied by others.

Flint was challenged to rise to the concept of having four
years of college available locally. This idea had interested Mott
for several years, since President Ruthven of the University of
Michigan had indicated that the possibility of establishing a
branch of the university at Flint might receive serious consider-
176

ation by those authorized to make such decisions. Mott had
made the provision of a million dollars in money or land, or a
combination of both, contingent upon approval of a school
bond issue by Flint voters.

A Flint Journal editorial of June 7, 1950, reports the results
of Flint's vote on the bond issue in glowing terms.

THINGS ARE GOING FLINT'S WAY; IT'S A GREAT YEAR!

Flint can feel a bit proud of itself today! Tuesday its citizens
voted overwhelmingly in favor of the two measures which will
mean more and better schools for the City's children.

As a result of that election, Flint will get four new elemen-
tary schools, additions to several existing schools, a new li-
brary, a school administration building, and a new college
which, if certain problems can be worked out, may embrace a
four-year curriculum. . . .

The little folk of this community are the principal benefi-
ciaries of the enlightened balloting which approved this step
by a margin of almost 4 to 1.

But the adults of the community will benefit too. Their
children and their neighbors' children have been guaranteed
a better opportunity for a better education. Better education
means better citizens. Better citizens means a better com-
munity. Better communities mean a better Nation, and a
better democracy.

Everybody wins. . . .

The emphatic approval by voters of a $7-million bond issue
was the subject of general elation throughout Flint; no new
schools had been built for twenty years. General Motors and
the UAW-CIO had recently signed a five-year contract, and
Flint once more felt the surge of progress; the difference was
that now Flint looked toward a significant part of that progress
in the educational-cultural field, improving opportunities and
the quality of living for its people. It is not possible, of course,
to know exactly the extent to which the fifteen years of Mott
Foundation activities — and Mott's personal example — had
contributed to this raised level of community vision, but

777

certainly Mott and the Foundation had provided the original
impetus toward Flint's new respect for human values.

On Wednesday, June 8, 1950, President Ruthven — meeting
with the Flint Advisory Board of the university's Social
Science Research Project — commented on the action of Flint
voters, "Adoption of the bond issue by Flint citizens means
more than just making available more funds for education. It
means a revised and enlarged educational program." Ruthven
also noted that it would be difficult "to estimate how much not
only Flint and the State of Michigan but education everywhere
owes to Mr. Mott." Mott was then asked to comment at the
meeting. He pointed out the demonstrated desire of Flint people
to take advantage of additional educational opportunities, as
shown by ever-increasing enrollment in Foundation classes and
University of Michigan extension courses.

But a lot of young people in Flint who would like a regular
college education do not have the funds to live away from
home. We of the Foundation thought it would be a fine thing
to round out Flint's school system by adding two years to our
Junior College. . . .

On my return from Bermuda recently, I learned that the
people of Flint would consider a school bond issue. Because
of the good feeling created by the signing of the five-year con-
tract between General Motors and the UAW-CIO, it looked
as if the bond issue would readily pass. In that proposal was
$1,600,000 for rebuilding Junior College. I thought it was
a corking good time to throw in my bit toward a four-year
college. . . ,

I won't be losing a million dollars as someone told me. I,
as will the entire community, will gain much through this
expansion of education. The endeavor can furnish an ex-
ample to other communities, and we hope some of them will
copy it

The university's research project in the Flint area (to which
the Foundation had contributed support) had found that from
2,000 to 3,000 Flint-area young people would attend a four-
year college if one were locally available. Mentioning this
178

report, Mott added, "Even if only half the number of estimated
students were to enroll, it would be worthwhile to provide a
college education for those wanting one but who couldn't go
away from home to get it"

With the tremendous accomplishment of Flint in the field of
educational-cultural development since 1950, it is perhaps not
too much to say that Flint is still celebrating Mott's seventy-
fifth birthday party in the ways that mean most to him.

All in all, Mott received a remarkable recognition from his
friends, neighbors, and the whole community . . . recognition
of the growing fifteen-year contribution of the Foundation to

community life recognition of the promise of a finer Flint

inherent in the Foundation's continued efforts and in Mott's
offer of $1 million toward a four-year college. Perhaps the vote
of Flint people in favor of the school bond issue was the
greatest recognition of aU.

The Mott program showed changes and developments during
1950, as every year. The top 20 members of Stepping Stone
Clubs were given a three-day visit to Michael Hamady's estate
on Mackinac Island in August. Mott Camp, with Lester Ehr-
bright as director, became a year-around resource, with Flint
Youth Bureau outdoor excursions planned there after the
regular camping season. In-service training for teachers —
widening the scope of the visiting-teacher program, under
direction of Walter S. Holmlund, received national recognition.

Registration for the fall term of Mott Foundation adult
education classes exceeded all previous records — with 2,200
people enrolling on the first of four evenings. Mott visited the
registration center at Central High School the evening of
September 18, 1950. His diary for the day notes:

The enrollment was being held in the two gymnasiums on
second floor, and the queue of those waiting to be registered
was a file of four wide, and reached as far as front door. And
the gymnasiums were chuck full of folks. Around the edges
of the gymnasiums were tables with teachers and volunteers
making the enrollments in various classes. I found not only

179

Miss Dill there, but also Miss Wood from our office and Miss
Hubner from Building office, a lot of teachers and staff whom
I already knew, plus a lot more whom I met. The whole thing
was most inspiring because of the interest and enthusiasm of
those entering these classes.

We have been doing this same sort of thing for some years
past, but this year the enrollment is greater than ever before.
Tonight was simply the first of four nights for enrollment. It
doesn't seem possible that there could be as many desiring to
enroll during the next three nights. . . .

On October 3, 1950, Mott was asked to make a record!
of a memory of the old days for a Chevrolet meeting which w
to be held after he would have left for Bermuda. This is t
text of the recording:

NARRATOR: There are some in this room who remember when
Chevrolet was a sickly child of only nine years, when W. C.
Durant felt the stock market crash about his ears for the
second time, and the presidency of General Motors passed
from Durant to Pierre S. du Pont, who decided to take inven-
tory of all GM Divisions. Mr. C. S. Mott has been a Director
of GM since 1913, and was at this time Director of Advisory
Staff and Supervising Vice President of Car and Truck Di-
visions of General Motors. Isn't that when the experts wanted
to close down Chevrolet, Mr. Mott?

MOTT: Yes, 1920 and 1921 were heartbreaking times. And it
looked tough for Chevrolet. Ford was outproducing Chevrolet
ten-to-one, and although Chevrolet sales reached 15,000 in
1920 the plants in Flint were practically idle by October. In
1921, Chevrolet sales were cut almost in half. Apparently
Mr. du Pont employed a firm of consulting engineers to an-
alyze all divisions. In their report they said Chevrolet could
not hope "to compete with the market," meaning Ford. They
recommended Chevrolet be closed out, but Mr. Alfred P.
Sloan, Jr., urged that Chevrolet be given another chance. On
February 23, 1922, 1 hired William S. Knudsen as my assist-
ant, and on March 25, 1922, he was made Production Vice
President of Chevrolet. It was the turning point. Two years
later Chevrolet showed a profit of five minimi dollars.

180

It was also in 1950 that Mott, with some pangs of nostal
regret, approved the sale of the farm horses with which
64 acres in the middle of Flint had, until then, been work

At the Automobile Old Timers eleventh anniversary dim
at the Waldorf, in New York City, October 18, Mott \
cited for his "long and varied contributions to the automol
industry and to General Motors Corporation." Mott met mz
old friends at the meeting, including J. Frank Duryea who w
Mott notes in his diary, "Chief Engineer of Stevens Dur]
Auto Company of Chicopee Falls to whom we furnished be
drive axles back in the early days — 1904 on. He is credii
with building first commercial gasoline cars around 1895, a
won Chicago auto race back then."

Mott was first of six to be awarded the Distinguished Serv
Citation. Bill Holler was Master of Ceremonies — a man M
has always been proud to have hired for General Motors — a
Mott was asked to speak. He began:

Fellow Old Timers and Guests, I had not expected to be
called upon, but fearing that I might be I brought along a f e^
notes in the way of stories regarding a number of real old
timers who have passed on to their reward. My first subject is
William C. Durant, without whom there never would have
been a General Motors.

Mott told them about Durant, the master salesman.
Louis Chevrolet . . . Walter Chrysler . . . and Alec Hardy .
with stories that were much appreciated by his audience. Spe*
ing after Mott was his good friend, C. F. Kettering.

The catalog for the January, 1951, registration for M
adult education classes listed 266 courses, held at school bui
ings throughout Flint; enrollments continued to break previc
records. The board of education's study and research comn
tee continued to explore ways and means of developing fc
years of college in Flint, conferring with University of Mi<
igan officials about the possibility of a branch of the universi

In May, 1951, Joseph A. Anderson, chairman of the co
mittee, reported a recommendation to the board that it sugg

1

immediate construction of a new Flint Junior College, at
estimated cost of $2.8 million — with the expectation of e
pansion to four years of college later at an additional cc
estimated at $1.2 million. It was also suggested that the Ui
versity of Michigan be asked to operate the third and four
years of the college.

The death of William S. Ballenger, one of the pioneers
the automobile industry, cost Flint one of its finest friends
recreation and civic enterprise. Ballenger Park, established 1
Mr. and Mrs. Ballenger in 1935, has been a much enjoy*
recreation center ever since. His will set up trust funds
maintain the park, and to set up another park. Other fun<
were set aside to build a field house on the campus of the ne
college being planned for Flint. After other specific bequest
the substantial remainder of his estate was bequeathed 1
Flint Junior College. The Mott Foundation had worked c<
operatively with Mr. Ballenger ever since the early recreatic
programs of 1935 — and the trust funds set up by the Balleng<
will gave further impetus to Flint's developing plans for edua
tional, cultural, and recreational development.

The health-achievement program in the schools showe
great advancement in 1951, with more than half the childre
in the health-guarded category for the first time. The Four
dation began operating the Tot Lot program as a separat
division in 1951, with advisory committees in the area aroun
each of the seventeen Tot Lot locations.

A teen-age safe-driving program was another importar
1951 development; a number of community agencies cc
operated in developing the plan, with Dr. Myrtle Black, Mol
Foundation adult education supervisor, as chairman of th
committee. A parent-child program was initiated, sponsors
by the Foundation and the schools, with the backing of com
munity organizations. The first class was attended by almost ;
thousand parents and teen-age children; four classes were held
with increasing attendance. Plans were made to continue th(
program with small classes, and a practice driving area, ii
the fan,

182

The Foundation's budget for the 1951-1952 year was
$300,000, of which almost one-third was for the health work.
The adult education program enrolled 11,577 persons in the
1950-1951 season, and plans were made to accommodate
even more in the next year, with about 300 courses offered in
20 centers throughout Flint.

The death of Alton R. Patterson, assistant director of the
Mott Foundation program, and director of pupil personnel
and attendance and child accounting for the Flint public
schools, was a serious loss to the community. A strong force in
the complex and arduous work of developing and carrying out
the Foundation program from its very first days, Patterson was
one of those quiet, effective men of exceptional ability, judg-
ment, and loyalty, and real dedication to his work.

In Flint, the event of the year for Mott, Manley, the board
of education, the Foundation staff — and the public — was the
opening of the Ralph M. Freeman Elementary School, Flint's
first community school. The concept had been growing fat
many years; part of it was in Manley's convictions when he
came to Flint; part of it was in Mott's belief in the fullest use
of available resources; an aspect of it had been demonstrated
with the first after-hours utilization of school buildings in Flint
in 1935; step after step had been taken in the same direction;
the Fairview School pilot project had taken an unlikely and
difficult district and turned it into an effective center of com-
munity development. Now, with the Freeman School — Flint* s
first new school since 1929 — a school had been designed func-
tionally as a community school.

President George V. Gundry of the board of education
greeted the audience at the dedication ceremony, describing
the new school as

. . . an investment in the American way of life . . . Flint's first
true community-type school and its first new school in more
than twenty years. With the help of the Mott Foundation,
we have shown enviable leadership in the use of schools by
the whole community. And there is every reason that the
whole community should use the schools. The community

183

builds and furnishes the buildings. It even provides the chil-
dren to fill them.

In this building you will have a headquarters for community
education, where children will come for an education second
to none, and for training in citizenship.

Here you will come for education yourselves, and see fine
plays, hear fine music, and relax in a world that is too full of
hurry.

Mott was called upon to speak. He said:

I am glad to be present at the dedication of this new school

building, and to congratulate all concerned First, the

school board . . . second, the public . . . third, the children
who will come here . . . and finally, myself for the realization
of what has been my dream for many years. To my mind
this building embodies the best ideas devised by experience
and ability, and results in a highly functional and 100 per
cent efficient center for both education and community use.
I shall not attempt to enumerate all of the details, other than
to say that all of the facilities may be used separately, in
units, or together. I hope you will make a close inspection.
This is the first completed of four school buildings planned,
and I am sure that hereafter all schools in Flint will embody
this idea, and that many other cities will copy us.

Ralph M. Freeman, for whom the school was named, had
served on the Flint board of education from 1935 to 1949. A
Flint attorney, known as a community leader, he was happy to
be present at the ceremony dedicating the school.

Thus, the new Freeman Community School demonstrated
its added facilities on the evening of its dedication. The differ-
ences in the design, construction, and use of Freeman School
are described in Flint School Review for December, 1951.

The building includes eight classrooms, two kindergartens,
a gymnasium, auditorium, arts and crafts room, a community
conference room, hallways, lavatories, a health room, teachers
rest room, storage rooms, offices, and a power plant

Such statistics are not remarkable in themselves. What is

184

remarkable is that this floor space was planned for multi-
purpose use to meet the varied needs of the community. The
people who built this school — the taxpayers — will receive
almost twice the value from the building and its rooms,
largely because of planning for its maximum use as both an
ideal elementary classroom building and a community center.
Freeman School can be used the day-round and the year-
round. The building was so designed that it can accommodate
large or small groups. By cutting off corridors with accordion-
like wall gates, just the library, just the auditorium, just the
community conference or arts and crafts rooms, or just the
gymnasium can be used — all without opening up other parts
of the building. The building is expansible — so planned that
other classrooms, recreational facilities, or even a swimming
pool can be added.

The gymnasium is suitable for groups of all sizes. It can be
used for dancing and social recreation, for festivals, exhibits,
games for small children, as well as for the customary gymna-
sium athletics — basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton,
shuffleboard. It has five badminton courts.

The auditorium seats 300 on a sloping floor. The seats bor-
dering the aisles are of different widths — 18, 19, and 20
inches — so that along the rows no seat will be directly in
front of another to obstruct the view of the stage. Both
children and grown-ups who will use the stage for plays,
assemblies, movies, and forums, will have access to a work-
room, dressing and prep rooms.

The school has a community room which during the school
day is used as an audio-visual room. It has stoves, cupboards,
a refrigerator, and comfortable furniture which make PTA
meetings, Child Study dub gatherings, teacher and parent
teas, and neighborhood conferences pleasurable and friendly
affairs. The arts and crafts room is supplied for use by both
children and adults in painting, ceramics, leatherwork, sew-
ing, woodcarving, and other hobbies and crafts.

Kindergarten rooms open to a play area restricted for
small children. Here their play is not interrupted or hampered
by older children.

Bach classroom is self-contained. Each has its own wash-

185

room and lavatory for both boys and for girls. This innova-
tion in school planning does not cost any more than the
customary "down the hall" lavatory. There are no lockers in
the hallways since each classroom has its own such facilities.
Each room has bi-lateral lighting — lighting directly or indi-
rectly from the outside through low windows and glass blocks
on the upper outside walls. This natural lighting is augmented
by well-placed fluorescent ceiling light fixtures. Rooms and
hallway ceilings are of acoustical tile. Classroom and corridor
drinking fountains are recessed.

This, then, is the physical plant of a community school. In
order to make it function effectively as a real community cen-
ter> William R Minardo, a member of the Foundation staff
from its first days, was appointed director of the school-
community program, a position commonly known in the years
to come as "building director." Actually, the community-school
building director was to become the key to the community-
center functions of the community schools — coordinating,
leading, helping in a thousand ways to develop the community
participation in activities.

Organization of the Mott Foundation program was chancdng
through these years, as experience showed better ways of ac-
complishment. Coordinators of various parts of the program
were named to assure responsible direction of each aspect of
the work. Community-school developments were instituted at
Parkland and Roosevelt schools. At Parkland, the interest of
the community was in a health and homemaking project com-
parable to the one which had wrought so great a change for
the better in the Fairview School community. Buick assisted in
development of a large park area for community recreational
purposes at Roosevelt School. Through the youth bureau —
with its ever present evidences of the effects of alcoholism on
sound family life — a beginning was made in a program to
assist in prevention and cure of alcoholism.

With regard to the four-years-of-college idea — which Mott
had been pursuing vigorously since Ruthven's mention in 1946
186

that the university might consider branches in other cities —
Mott wondered whether the retirement of Ruthven might raise
a new problem. In May, 1 952, a group of Flint men — including
George V. Gundry, Joseph A. Anderson, Dr. W. Fred Totten,
S. S. Stewart, Jr., Dr. Mark W. Bills, John M. Barrett, Frank
J. Manley, and Harding Mott — met with the new president of
the university, Dr. Harlan H. Hatcher, and members of his
staff. The university agreed to present a plan for operation of
a four-year college in Flint. Mott had already made available
32 acres of his property — valued at $132,000 — as a site. This
land was part of his home-estate, with large frontage on Court
Street, and adjoining the Oak Grove campus of the old Flint
Junior College. The board of education found that sharply
increasing construction costs threatened the completion of the
building program planned when the voters of Flint had ap-
proved the $7-million bond issue in 1950 — but the idea of
having a full four years of college in Flint never lost momen-
tum. The board decided to proceed with junior college con-
struction; under the terms of the Ballenger will, funds had been
made available for building a field house, and Mott agreed to
make available the million dollars he had pledged so that a
science building could be constructed.

In July, 1 952, Dr. Hatcher consulted Mott on a proposal the
university was considering submitting to Flint with regard to
conditions of affiliation to provide four years of college. Mott
felt that some of the elements of the proposal were rather un-
reasonable— particularly in relation to arrangements on land
which Mott had agreed to deed to the Flint Board of Education
"with provision that they cannot dispose of it otherwise than
back to the Foundation." Also, Mott felt some provisions of the
proposal would conflict with terms of the Ballenger will to the
disadvantage of the college development Mott told Hatcher
that the committee named by the board of education had
decided to make a return proposal to the university, embodying
suggested means of proceeding with the college plans. Mott
notes in his diary: "We had a very pleasant talk and I am quite

137

sure that Dr. Hatcher took no offense at what I said, and, as a
matter of fact, I think he agreed with me."

On July 29, 1952, Mott deeded the 32 acres of his land to
the Foundation, and then, acting for the Foundation, "gave
and conveyed this property to the Flint Board of Education
with the provision that it shall be used only for educational
purposes and not otherwise disposed of."

Just when the Mott program adult education classes were
opening in 1952, Time magazine printed an article about Mott
and the Foundation, calling Mott, "Mr. Flint," and beginning
with a 1952 incident:

. . . two small boys invaded Mott's office to complain that
lie Park Department could not afford to keep the city swim-
ming pools open in August. Mott immediately decided to
foot the bill. "We are," says he, "a last-resort organization."

Today, with more than $20 million in stocks and real
estate (the Foundation owns at least one bank and four de-
partment stores), the Foundation can afford to do quite a bit
of last-resorting. But that is only the start of its work. By its
alliance with the Board of Education, the Foundation has
turned the schools into neighborhood centers, given hundreds
of teachers a chance to earn extra money, and made Flint
more community-conscious than ever before.

At 77, Charles Mott, a director of General Motors since
1913, chairman of the board of U.S. Sugar Corp., and mem-
ber of innumerable organizations (e.g., American Legion,
United Spanish War Veterans, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club,
Elks, Moose, Masons), still works hard at his goal. He pops
into his paneled office every working day, keeps it filled with

fresh flowers and humming with fresh ideas "We must

build back to community activities," says Mott, "to get peo-
ple to know their neighbors and bring about a wholesome,
small-town atmosphere in a big city."

When plans for the junior college science building were
drawn up, the estimated cost was $1,557,000. Mott agreed to
increase his original gift of a million dollars by the additional
$557,000 rather than to have the plans reduced to a less
188

adequate building. The board of education announced that the
name of the new building would be the Charles Stewart Mott
Community Center of Science and Arts.

Two other new community schools were dedicated in 1952:
the John L. Pierce School and the Ernest W. Potter School —
both built with the same concept as the Freeman School to be
real centers of community life. Dr. Spencer W. Myers, Flint's
new superintendent of schools, took part in the dedication
ceremonies of the new schools, expressing his increasing pride
in association with Flint schools. At the Potter School cere-
mony, he said, "The building will never be anything but con-
crete and mortar, but it is the reflection of the dream of Thomas
Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton that men should be free to
develop to their own greatest capacity and that this can best
be accomplished through public education."

On December 4, 1952, Mott and a group of other Flint men
met with Dr. Hatcher and other University of Michigan rep-
resentatives. Mott pointed out that the junior college was well
under way, and that he had not lost interest in an additional
last two years of college by the university, and that "we were
prepared to help finance any additional buildings in case they
were needed and the School Board unable to do the financing
. . . that we thought well of higher education, and what we are
most tremendously interested in was the upgrading of Flint
folks — call it education or anything else you want. We do not
argue about that, but we propose to give Flint folks an op-
portunity to learn various trades, professions, etc., along any
lines they want as long as it enables them to live happier and
more prosperous lives." President Hatcher assured Mott of the
university's continued interest in the possibilities of a branch in
Flint.

A December 22, 1952, entry in Mott's diary has a title line:

SHIRT SLEEVE ECONOMICS, OR SHOULD I SAY SHIRT TAIL

Some months ago our husky fourteen-year-old son, Stew-
art, bigger, taller, and heavier than his father, asserting his

189

strength on the mixing valve in his bathroom, broke the
handle off. Local plumber was unable to get it replaced and
make repairs, and finally was instructed to put in a new
mixing valve, and I have just received the bill for same. The
valve alone cost $22.50, and the cost of installation, etc., at
$4.00 per hour, brought the cost up to $100.00.

Now, the economic question which I bring to your atten-
tion is as follows:

I pay tax of 90% on my income, thus in order to acquire
$100 with which to pay this particular plumber's bill, I have to
receive from General Motors $1,000.00 (on which I pay tax
of $900.00, leaving $100.00 with which to pay the bill).

Furthermore, in order to pay me $1,000 in dividends, Gen-
eral Motors has to earn $4,000.00 before they pay income
tax. As check on this let me say that G.M.'s earnings before
income tax equals 19.90% of sales, and G.M. Dividends for
1951 equalled 6.75% of sales, which is practically % of the
19.90.

From this you will note that liquidation of expense caused
by Stewart's breaking the handle off the mixing valve required
an earning of $4,000 before taxes by G.M., which should be
a lesson in economics and a warning against using too much
strength on plumbing fixtures.

This particular item from Mott's diary was utilized in
Newsweek by Henry Hazlitt (for whom Mott has always had
high regard).

The Mott family's 1952 Christmas cards must have been
mailed early, because Pierre S. du Pont wrote Mott a letter
of acknowledgment eight days before Christmas. On Novem-
ber 30, 1920, du Pont had somewhat reluctantly accepted the
presidency of General Motors to lend the prestige and con-
servative strength of his name, character, and experience to the
corporation in those troubled times when the whole structure
was threatened. By mid-1922, the financial position of General
Motors had been improved vastly, and an internal reorgan-
ization had improved operations to a remarkable degree. With
the restoration of confidence, stability, and an advantageous
790

financial position for General Motors accomplished, Pierre S.
du Pont retired as president May 10, 1923, to be succeeded
by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.

The letter which Pierre S. du Pont wrote to Mott just
before Christmas in 1952 gives a glimpse of those dramatic
events thirty years before, and a suggestion of the importance
of Mott's part in them.

December 17, 1952
Mr. Charles S. Mott,

500 Mott Foundation Bldg.,

Flint, Michigan
Dear Stewart:

Your Christmas cards are always a source of enjoyment, as
they give some news of you and your surroundings. Since you
sent your first card, the children have changed much. They
are a fine trio but they may be disappointed to learn that I do
not share their love for dogs. Those in the picture seem well
placed and happy.

I have thought of you a great deal during recent weeks on
account of the Du Pont lawsuit, which started trial in Chicago
in November. The recount of historical events in General
Motors brought you frequently to mind — my mind. You were
a tower of strength during the Durant debacle. Without you,
Sloan, and Bassett, the company could not have pulled
through. Your energy and sincere belief in the company did
much to win over the bankers, who held the reins but were
glad to give way to those worthy of handling them. I wish
that you and Sloan would write up General Motors in the
early days. The Du Pont side of the case has been pretty well
covered during the lawsuit to which it has been subjected.
Perhaps the writing has not been very readable but very many
cold, hard facts have been set forth which all redound to your
credit.

My best wishes for a happy Christmas to you and to your
wife and family.

Sincerely yours,
Pierre S. du Pont

191

Oil January 13, 1953, Mott replied to du Font's letter.
Mott's consistent loyalty to General Motors, his concern for
better methods and products, and his care to disclaim any
credit he felt he did not entirely deserve, are particularly
evident in his reply.

January 12, 1953
Mr. Pierre S. du Pont
Wilmington, Delaware

Dear Pierre:

Your kind letter of December 17th was duly received, and
we are complimented by your interest in our cards and family.

Regarding Chicago lawsuit, it was a great surprise to me,
for though I occupied an important executive position in the
*20*s, I was not aware of any so-called "pressure.** Certainly
the du Ponts never even asked my help.

I personally "pressured" Buick and Cadillac, and secured
an executive wire from Sloan to Cadillac ordering them to
comply with dealers* orders when the dealers specified Duco,
and Hannum and I put up a job whereby we could get Fisher
to two-tone Duco Oakland closed cars. This pressure did not
come from du Pont Company, but from car dealers who were
disgusted with the terribly bad paint and varnish finish.

Although I have always had and will continue to have
the most kindly feelings toward the du Pont family, who have
done so much to help General Motors Corporation and its
personnel, my efforts on Duco were self -started by me for the
benefit of General Motors product. I should have been un-
grateful if I refused to help my friends, but such was never
asked of me, and was not the reason for my condemning paint
and varnish in favor of Duco. The difference in the results
spoke for itself.

Originally the Fishers opposed Duco, and it was by above
method that we got it across, and a few years ago one of the
Fishers said to me, "C.S., our use of Duco was one of the
greatest things that ever happened to General Motors," and he
was right.

Together with my late friend George Hannum I will accept
responsibility of above.

792

As to other matters which you mention, you overcompli-
ment me. I did what I could in the '20's when our various
divisions were not co-operative, and at times without good
leadership. Fortunately, with Sloan's patient leadership and
organizing ability, there came through a group of young and
able men to take over what the older men, of whom I was
one, were glad to give up. Today we have a wealth of com-
petent men in General Motors — a lot of them whose ability
is enough for any job in General Motors or elsewhere. How
they acquired all of this ability staggers me, but they have it,
and you and I feel very happy that what the du Fonts put
their shoulder to is now the healthiest outfit in the country.

I have carefully inspected the new models, and am sure
that you will be proud of their acceptance by the public.

Again let me thank you for your letter, and tell you how
happy I am to have your friendship and that of the du Fonts.

With best wishes,

Sincerely,
C. S. Mott

193

EIGHTEEN

All the regular Mott Foundation activities kept growing, and
there were always new developments . . . teen clubs . . . chil-
dren's drama classes ... a program for older people . . . the
driver-training program. MaiJey, in speaking to a Foundation
staff meeting, reaffirmed basic principles, and emphasized the
tradition of continuous adaptability of the Foundation — re-
minding everyone that "Everything the program is doing or has
done is the result of a specific thing that needed to be done.
If any organization in Flint can take over what we are doing,
we'll get right out of it and put our efforts to new tasks."

On March 31, Mott turned the first sod on his former Court
Street property in a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the
beginning of construction of the new Mott Science Building.
A Freeman School "open house'* in April demonstrated to all
Flint how a community school was actually being used by the
families of the area surrounding it. Some 2,500 persons were
already active there in more than twenty-five groups and organ-
izations . . . Brownies, Cubs, Scouts, PTA, Freeman Men's
Class, Mott Foundation classes, basketball leagues, Flint Com-
munity Players, square dancing groups, teen-age clubs, and
others.

In addition to being Mott's seventy-eighth birthday, June 2,
1953, was voting day in Flint — and Flint citizens approved an
additional tax of 5 mills for school purposes for ten years,
estimated to raise about $20 million, permitting construction of
more community schools and taking care of operational costs.
The vote was about 68 per cent in favor of the increase. Two
days later, the Flint Journal announced:

The community-center program now financed largely by the
Mott Foundation in Flint's three new school buildings will
be extended into every area of the City.

194

C. S. Mott, originator and president of the Foundation,
has informed the Board of Education that every school be-
coming a community-center type building — either a new
one to be built or an old one to be remodeled — wiH be offered
a community-school program.

Mr. Mott predicted "a great future for Flint" on the heels
of passage by the voters Tuesday of a $20,000,000 tax levy
for the City's schools.

And the Foundation, Mr. Mott said, expects to assume its
full share of responsibility in providing financial resources
for development.

The Foundation is spending $370,000 for education, rec-
reation, health, and character-building through the schools
in the current year. This is besides capital gifts. While the
Mott program expansion undoubtedly will be keyed to the
school expansion now permitted by the tax increase, some
informed persons see its annual cost as reaching $500,000
soon. . . .

With funds available to the school board through the new
tax source, four to six new schools will be built and existing
ones remodeled, enlarged, or facilities improved. The Founda-
tion does not yet know how many additional community-
center programs will be set up, but enough are being planned
in old as well as new sections so that they will be in reach of
all Flint residents.

What program will be offered at those strategically located
buildings will be determined largely by requests of persons in
the areas. Teen-age clubs, athletic programs for young and
old, dramatics, adult education, crafts, and family events
have proven popular in the Freeman, Potter, and Pierce neigh-
borhoods.

Because of overwhelming support in these areas for the
tax levy, the community center programs were seen to be
one of the deciding factors in Tuesday's election. Flint has
been cited far and wide for its new-type schools and pro-
grams.

Mr. Mott said Tuesday's vote was wa vote of confidence in
the present school board. The people showed they approved
of the board and what it has done. They also put the board

195

under an obligation to carry out what the people have voted
for."

The new community-center programs and whatever other
projects may be developed and to which the Foundation gives
support will be formulated by the Co-ordinating Committee
of the Board of Education and the Mott Foundation. Mem-
bers of the committee are appointed by the board. The com-
mittee is constituted of board members and persons selected
from the community.

"The Foundation's budget has increased each year,** Mr.
Mott said. "We never have yet turned down a budget pro-
posed by the Co-ordinating Committee.**

On June 8, 1953, a devastating tornado struck Flint, causing
many deaths and injuries, and destruction of many homes.
Mott's daughter Susan happened to be in the tornado area at
the time, and had a narrow escape. Dr. Tuuri, of the Mott
Children's Health Center, devoted countless hours to the care
of children injured in the tornado, and the whole community
rallied to assist stricken neighbors. A little later, a movement
was instituted to help rebuild homes destroyed in the tornado,
and Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30 were set for
Flint's community good turn, "Operation Tornado." An entry
from Mott's diary for August 29, 1953, follows.

I drove up to the North End to Coldwater Road, which
is about six miles North of the City Hall, and one mile be-
yond City Limits. There, in accordance with instructions
received, I drove East on Coldwater Road to 1189 and joined
Project No. 6 of "Operation Tornado,*' and got started on
the work at one o'clock. I was given an official tag and an
A. F. of L. Federation card and immediately started in nail-
ing sheathing on the newly erected uprights of a house that
had been pretty much destroyed by the tornado. I was
equipped with a carpenter's apron with pockets for 8 and 10
penny nails, and as requested had brought my hammer with
me, and for three hours I worked on sheathing the back and
side of house. Believe me, the weather was hot. At the end
of three hours, the handle of the hammer had somewhat

796

loosened the skin on my right hand, but had not yet come to
a blister, and after three hours without sitting down, I real-
ized there was a lot of difference in my general physical condi-
tion at 78 from what it was 20 years ago when Harding and I
worked for three weeks, sun-up to sun-down, at Camp Verde
on both masonry and carpentry on a ranch house. However,
four o'clock was official quitting time and I had just enough
strength left to drive home where I had a bath, a big orange-
lemon drink, and an hour's rest.

Much was made of this incident in the way of national
publicity, and there may very well have been skeptical souls
who considered Mott's work on "Operation Tornado" as a
gesture. It was a taken-for-granted act of good-neighborliness
to help where help was needed; Mott has always felt a personal
responsibility to have a literal hand in what needs to be done,
and if the hand has been somewhat blistered in the process he
has accepted that, too. His work in "Operation Tornado'' was
not a stunt but a self-imposed obligation fulfilled — just as the
work of his son, Harding, and grandson, Harding, Jr., on the
same project on the following day was taken for granted by
these younger Motts.

In September, 1953, the Mott Foundation financed and
gave to the Flint Board of Education a new voice to reach the
community — its own FM radio station, WFBE, with an ex-
cellent staff directed by Miss Ola Hiller. Enrollment for adult
education and recreation classes broke all previous records.
Parent-teacher association membership also reached an im-
pressive high of 16,835 — suggesting the increased sense of
community participation awakened in Flint. The eighth Annual
Flint Folk Festival at the IMA Auditorium — a widely enjoyed
extravaganza of square dancing with Harold Bacon as master
of ceremonies— drew tremendous interest, and a crowd of
3,500.

In December, a new pilot project was announced by the
board of education — in which an attempt would be made to
meet the problem of "ninth-grade dropout" from school by

197

combining practical work experience with academic training
for boys attracted more to building-trades than to regular high
school studies.

Volume of adult evening school class registrations increased
so greatly that 398 courses were offered for the winter term
beginning February 1, 1954, in 33 centers throughout Flint.
Twenty-five of the courses were new — including a thirteen-
week course called, 'The United Nations — What's In It For
Me?" presented to the whole community over a local radio
station, WFDF, with supplementary printed materials fur-
nished to those who registered. The course received an im-
pressive enrollment by mail, and was spoken of with some
enthusiasm by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt in her daily news-
paper column.

Flint's fourth community school, the Gyles E. Merrill
School, was dedicated February 3, 1954. A few days later
Mott received a distinguished service award from the Michigan
Congress of Parents and Teachers. He also received a salute
from the student body of Flint Junior College as part of the
first honors convocation on the new campus and a few days later
he received a Saginaw County distinguished service award
from the Saginaw County Board of Supervisors, "for generous
contributions to Saginaw County Hospital for research in the
field of tuberculosis."

In 1954, Manley set forth an evaluation of Mott Foun-
dation work in accordance with a policy of periodic exami-
nation of the program, plans, and operations to determine
how well they measured up by the best available yardsticks.
Manley's report begins:

1. Has the Mott Foundation Program helped the City of
Flint to become a better community, with better and happier
homes and better and happier children and adults? Has the
Foundation in any way relieved or excused the community
from making every effort to "pull itself up by its own boot-
straps" or, on the contrary, has it "primed the pump" to re-
lease individual and community energies, abilities, and good
will for the benefit of all?

198

2. How does the Mott Foundation Program, in its philosophy,
purposes, plans, and operations measure up to the recom-
mendations of the country's leading authorities in the field?

To establish a background for answering the questions,
Manley reviews the social history of Flint up to the beginnings
of the Foundation program in 1935. He illustrates the pump-
priming function of the Foundation's work by showing the
tremendous increases both in funds for civic and educational
accomplishment and in membership in such community
agencies as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts; and YMCA.

For measurement against established educational yardsticks,
Manley matches specific Foundation policies, functions, and
activities against recommendations of the recognized author-
ities in the field. He is able to demonstrate how the Foundation
meets each recommendation. Not only is the Foundation a
stimulus to other community improvement developments,
but it places emphasis on prevention and education . . . ven-
tures into new and exploratory fields, taking the initiative
rather than merely applying patching plaster . . . provides cap-
ital for experiments which cannot currently be financed by
public funds . . . actually gets things done in everyday, down-
to-earth practice . . . concentrates on selection of personnel
with dedication, creative initiative, and human warmth as well
as outstanding excellence in knowledge and techniques . . .
makes provision for wise and responsible administration . . .
does its work in its own community . . . makes use of existing
facilities . . . adapts programs to what people really want and
need. Each of these things the Foundation does is in accord-
ance with the recommendations of those whose opinions are
most respected in the field of theory and practice in the oper-
ation of foundations. Exactly how the Foundation fulfills these
recommendations is well-documented in Manley's thorough
review and evaluation of the work of the program from 1935
to 1954.

In July, 1954, Mott was pleased to be able to honor Manley
by presenting to the board of education a check for $188,810
for construction of an indoor swimming pool at Northern

199

High School, the pool to be named for Frank J. Manley. The
Mott Foundation Co-ordinating Committee had recommended
the construction of the pool, reporting, "There is general agree-
ment that all physically fit young people should have an op-
portunity to learn to swim and become acquainted with water
safety."
When he received the recommendation, Mott replied,

For a number of years Frank Manley has talked to us, off
and on, about the great need for such a facility — not simply
on the basis of pleasure or sports, but to teach a lot more
folks to swim.

Our daily papers contain a list of too many people who
have drowned due to not knowing how to swim when a little
training would have saved their lives. We were told that of the
young men entering the United States Navy during the last
war only 15 per cent knew how to swim. That was a very
poor record.

Each year at Mott Camp at least 650 boys partake of
swimming instruction. The experience has been that all but
about 1 per cent of those attending are able to swim before
leaving camp. This is a dividend they receive in addition to
healthy exercise, sport, and pleasure.

The Mott Foundation is glad to be able to grant your re-
quest; and because the idea of the project originated with
Frank J. Manley, and in further recognition of his many
other unselfish contributions to the advancement and welfare
of the citizens of Flint, we desire that this pool bear his name.

With adult education classes beginning in late September,
494 classes were offered; advanced registration totaled more
than 10,000. The Foundation budget for 1954-1955 exceeded
$500,000.

November 23, 1954, was a day of celebration in Flint — in
honor of the production of the 50 millionth General Motors
automobile. As part of the day's ceremonies, the new Harlow
H. Curtice Community College Building was dedicated at the
Junior College. In the course of a speech, Curtice announced
that General Motors would contribute $3 million toward Flint's

200

college and cultural development. He identified the contribu-
tion as a Flint centennial project, in honor of the coming year,
when Flint would celebrate its hundredth anniversary as a city.
Among other things that Curtice said were the following:

The science and arts building, now nearing completion,
will be dedicated to Charles Stewart Mott. This very campus
you owe to his generosity. The Mott Foundation has a nation-
wide reputation for its accomplishments.

One of the pioneers of our industry, Stewart Mott was long
active in the management of General Motors and is the oldest
in tenure on our Board of Directors. I cherish his friendship
and staunch support.

Flint is a better city in which to live as a result of his gen-
erosity.

Flint is a growing and prosperous community. General
Motors is happy to have contributed to this prosperity through
its own growth. We recognize, too, that the support of the
citizens of Flint has had a great deal to do with the growth
and prosperity of General Motors.

The Flint college and cultural center project was launched
— beginning with a $12-million goal for Flint's centennial year.
Plans at that time called for construction of a 3,000-seat audi-
torium, a transportation and historical museum, an art center,
a theater, a carillon, and a planetarium. Michael Gorman,
editor of the Flint Journal, made the college and cultural devel-
opment the central focus of his endeavors, and many other
Flint people were inspired by the good beginnings Flint was
making in improving the quality of opportunity in education
and the arts for the whole community. The community-school
concept had taken hold, and was being directed into levels of
higher education.

In December, Mott was appointed General Chairman of the
Michigan White House Conference on Education, scheduled
for the next May. Late in December, it was announced that on
January 11, 1955, President Eisenhower would confer the
International Big Brother of the Year Award on Mott, "for his

201

oustanding work with the Flint Youth Bureau and for broad
humanitarian endeavor." Mott had been chosen for the award
by the board of directors of the Big Brothers of America.

On January 10, Mr. and Mrs. Mott, Frank J. Manley,
George V. Gundry, Dr. Harold W. Woughter (chairman of
the Mott Foundation Coordinating Committee), Everett A.
Cummings (school board president), Woodrow W. Skaff
(Flint Youth Bureau president), Joseph T. Ryder (Flint Youth
Bureau director), and Gerald H. Rideout were flown to Wash-
ington. Mott telephoned Mrs. Arthur Summerfield, who told
him that Postmaster General Summerfield would be with the
party at the White House. The next morning, the party made a
tour of the official rooms of the White House, then walked out-
side and around to the north-west gate, where they entered at
11:30 A.M. Mott records the proceedings in his diary for the
day:

We met a large group of folks. I presume the whole party
numbered as many as 40 and included Senator Potter and
Congressman Dondero of Michigan, Eddie Rickenbacker, and
others. At 12:30 we all filed into President Eisenhower's
private office where the President was standing at his desk,
and batteries of photographers, movie and still, were all ready
for us.

The Postmaster General took me up to the President and
introduced me, remarking to the President that I was his first
employer and that President Eisenhower was his last — and
at both places his job was carrying the mail.

After hand-shaking, a framed Big Brother Award was
handed to the President by Mr. Berwind, and the President
read the inscription and handed the award to me with an-
other handshake, and then a talk lasting not over two minutes.
I accepted the award on behalf of over one-thousand associ-
ates in Flint who were, I said, the ones who really did the
work and deserved the award. In Flint, with a population of
165,000, we have 600 Big Brothers, each with a boy to look
after, and probably at least another 600 folks working in
social agencies and other program activities all very helpful
to the Big Brother movement And I finished by saying, "Mr.

202

President, we think you are the biggest Big Brother of all."
And for some unaccountable reason that last remark seemed
to make a great hit, not only with the President, but with the
men of the press who were present. More pictures were taken
with the President shaking hands with me, and my receiving
the award, and the party was over.

The President appeared in excellent health and spirits and
extremely affable and agreeable. He certainly has a wonder-
ful personality. I must not forget to say that before I left the
room I introduced Joe Ryder to the President, and Joe gave
him a box of trout flies which had been tied by the boys in
his organization, and the President, being a trout fisherman,
seemed to be very pleased.

The reference which Postmaster General Arthur E. Summer-
field, of Flint, made to Mott as his first employer, and "carry-
ing the mail" was an allusion to the fact that Summerfield's
first job was as an errand boy at the Weston-Mott Company —
where his duties had included carrying the mail around to the
various offices.

Newspaper accounts of the Big Brother Award give addi-
tional details of the ceremony. As reported by William F.
Pyper, of the Flint Journal Washington Bureau, President
Eisenhower said, with reference to the citation on the award
scroll, "I'm going to read this because I like it." He read:

To Charles Stewart Mott in recognition of your humani-
tarianism in supporting youth programs in Flint, Michigan,
which has provided a pattern for other communities to fol-
low: Big Brothers of America, Inc., United States and Canada,
proudly name you Big Brother of the Year 1954.

Your leadership and labors in the public interest and your
services in behalf of the youth of Flint point to the value of
private philanthropy in stimulating communities to greater
responsibilities for their welfare, and are in keeping with the
highest traditions and aims of the Big Brother movement.

The giving of yourself, your heart, and your concern to
this cause is a source of lasting pride to every big and little
brother in America.

203

The winter adult education program offered Flint a choice
of 524 courses at 39 centers. Students who wished to do so
could follow a planned curriculum to accomplish definite ob-
jectives; appointment of coordinators in major fields of adult
education made possible the development of sequences of
courses in related fields. Dr. Myrtle F. Black, adult education
supervisor, received a distinguished service award from the
Flint PTA Council for her contributions to Flint's educational
progress.

Mott received an unusual and deeply appreciated honor on
January 25, 1955. His diary describes it:

Lunched with Harding and Roy at Elks. At 2:00, with
previous notice, four American Federation of Labor men
arrived, also a reporter and a couple of photographers. The
men were Walter Heddy, President of AFL Painters Local
1052, Ralph Welborn, Secretary, Jack Niles, Business Agent,
and O. J. Lilies, Vice President. The AFL man made a speech
and told me that as the Union Card which they had given me
a year ago had expired, they now presented me with an
honorary life membership in the AFL Union. This because,
not only of my participation in the tornado re-building opera-
tion, but also the Foundation program work for the people of
Flint. I accepted the membership card with pleasure and told
the men something of my own feelings in regard to things
in general and what we are trying to accomplish in the
Foundation program, all of which seemed to be pleasing to
the men.

On the following day, Motfs diary mentions ". . . action of
the University of Michigan Board of Regents in favor of op-
erating a third and fourth year of college classes here in Flint,
which would be in building provided by local capital." Mott
had been working for such a decision for almost ten years,
and he mentions that Michael A. Gorman had been devoting
special efforts and activities to achieving the same end.

On February 1, Mott went to Lansing to carry out his
function as chairman of the Michigan White House Conference
on Education. His diary entry for the day records this incident:
204

I was presented to the assemblage by Dr. Clair L. Taylor,
Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction, and it was up
to me to introduce Governor G. Mennen Williams, who sat
alongside of me during the luncheon.

After making some remarks regarding educational, health,
and recreational work being done in Flint, I said to the
audience, "It is now my job to introduce the Governor. Last
night I said to my wife that I would introduce him in the fol-
lowing manner And she said, 'Oh, no. Don't do

that! He might not like it.' This morning I told Dr. Taylor
of my conversation with my wife, and he said, 'Go ahead
and do it.' " At which point the audience roared with laughter.
Williams being a Democrat and Taylor being a Republican,
the audience imagined all sorts of tilings, and this is it: "It
seems strange that I should have to introduce Governor Wil-
liams, for if there is any person in the room, or in the State
of Michigan who has not had his hand shaken by him, it is
not the Governor's fault." That brought the house down.

On the following day (although this does not presuppose
any connection between the two events), State Senator Gar-
land B. Lane, Flint Democrat, sponsored a concurrent resolu-
tion of commendation which cleared both houses of Michigan's
Legislature commending Mott's "contributions made through-
out the years."

It was a season of honors for Mott; on February 12, at
Founder's Day ceremonies beginning Michigan State College's
centennial year, Mott was presented with a centennial award,
thoughtfully inscribed. The award was especially gratifying to
Mott because of his exceptional regard for Dr. John A. Han-
nah, president of Michigan State.

A diary entry of February 15 makes reference to another
man for whom Mott has always had exceptional regard: Dr.
Arthur L. Tuuri, Director of the Mott Foundation Children's
Health Center.

Up at 6:30 and drove to Northern High School to attend
one of Frank Manley's staff meetings with about 40 present,
including Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Tuuri. He heads our Health
Operations and Clinic for children, and has been called to

205

service in the Army for 2 or 3 years, and is leaving shortly.
The breakfast party this morning included a few talks telling
him what we thought of him. I was delighted to present him
with a Retina camera, going-away gift from the staff, while
Mrs. Tuuri received an orchid, which she said was her first.
I just want to say in the diary what I said this morning —
that Dr. Tuuri is undoubtedly the finest head of our Health
Operation that we have ever had or ever could get ... and
we certainly will not listen to anything other than plans for
him to return here when he is finished with the Army work.

On March 24, 1955, Mott went to Lansing to testify at a
hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee of the
state legislature, relating to a bill being considered to appro-
priate $37,000 to the University of Michigan to plan proposed
operation of a third and fourth year of college to be carried
on by the University of Michigan in Flint. Mott made a strong
presentation of the case for a Flint branch, and indicated the
willingness of the Foundation to make available another $1
million for a building. University of Michigan officials and the
Flint men attending offered further testimony on the advan-
tages of the project.

Special honors kept coming to Mott — including a citation
from the Metropolitan Club of Stevens Institute of Technology,
an award certificate from the Flint Chapter of the American
Red Cross, and a certificate of merit and life membership from
the American Legion. Mott began to become somewhat self-
conscious about all the awards being conferred, when — as he
notes in his diary — "All that I am trying to do is to enjoy my-
self by improving things in Flint."

The City of Flint was celebrating its hundredth birthday
with a year-long centennial observance, and Mott, who had
shared exactly half of Flint's first century, was eighty years
old on June 2, 1955. The impetus imparted to Flint in the
direction of educational and cultural development was pick-
ing up momentum impressively. Two former Weston-Mott
men, Robert Longway and F. A. Bower, were co-chairmen of
the college and cultural development — devoting their very
206

considerable talents, energies, and resources to the great cen-
tennial project. The Michigan legislature had passed the bill
providing for University of Michigan studies and plans leading
to establishment of a branch of the University in Flint to offer
third and fourth years of college. Sponsors of the college and
cultural development were coming forward with increasing
frequency, with contributions of $25,000 or more toward
completion of the ambitious plans. Mott deeded an additional
6-and-a-fraction acres of land to the board of education from
his estate in the college area, "for use as an athletic field or
such other purposes as you may desire." Just five years after
Mott's seventy-fifth birthday party at the IMA Auditorium —
at which he had pledged $1 million — the building constructed
with that money (plus an additional $557,000 Mott had added
to his contribution) was ready to be dedicated — and Mott had
offered another $1 million toward construction of buildings for
the University of Michigan in Flint.

This, then, was the background for Mott's eightieth-birthday
party, in the midst of Flint's centennial year. The party was
held June 2, on the campus — which, until a short time before,
had been part of Mott's farm-in-the-middle-of-Flint. In the
course of an impressive dedication program, Mott made formal
presentation of the new Charles Stewart Mott Community
Center of Science and Applied Arts — saying, in effect, "Boys,
here it is." Presiding at the program was Dr. Harold W.
Woughter, former member of the board of education, and im-
mediate past president of the Mott Co-ordinating Committee.
Dr. Spencer W. Myers, superintendent of schools, made formal
acceptance of the new junior college building for the people of
Flint. Mott's presentation talk reviewed the community-school
development from elementary schools to this new college
building, noting of the new Mott Science and Applied Arts
Building that, "The board laid out the building so it can be
used to teach trades and occupations, and at the same time it
can be a valuable adjunct to the junior college and to the
university."

Dr. Woughter utilized one of Mott's own phrases in men-

207

tioning that Mott, for twenty years, had been "upgrading the
quality of living" in Flint by providing funds for education and
recreation.

From the dedication of a completed building, Mott walked
across the campus to grasp a shovel and break the ground for
the new University of Michigan building which he had agreed
to provide; President Hatcher of the University shared the dig-
ging in this symbolic groundbreaking.

Next, the big birthday party moved into BaHenger Field
House, where some 1,200 people were present for the birthday
dinner. In his diary for the day, Mott notes:

We had a very fine dinner and the program went off beauti-
fully. Speeches, messages, and tributes to me were very touch-
ing. Ivan Wiles presented to me a most magnificent book which
must measure 30 by 24 inches, filled with large hand-painted
scenes of various incidents in my life since our program was
started. Also, I was presented with a very large and beautiful
Service Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Another
item of memory: At each table there had been left a card
which each person at the table signed and these cards were
collected and bound in a book which was presented to me;
thus I have the signature record of everybody who was on
hand this evening.

Mrs. Mott was presented with a beautiful bouquet of red
roses by the Stepping Stone girls.

I had prepared no speech. It was just as well that I did
not, for nothing that I might have prepared would have been
exactly appropriate. I undertook to thank everybody who had
participated in any way in all of the proceedings of the day,
and especially those on the Board of Education and their
staff for co-operation in our program work, without which we
could have had no success whatever. Then I commented on
and expressed appreciation of Frank Manley and his able
and efficient staff.

I also praised Roy Brownell and Harding, who have done

such good work for us in the Foundation. Then I told about

getting the original idea of a University of Michigan Branch

in Flint from Dr. Ruthven about 9 years ago, which I was

208

unable to get across until Mike Gorman got behind the
project, and he and Dutch Bower and Bob Longway put
across the Cultural Center project and sold the idea to a
large group of Sponsors who each donated $25,000 or more.
It was quite apparent that the matter had been put up to them
in such a way that they really wanted to make the contribu-
tion.

When I got through my talk, the Junior College A Capella
Choir took over, and while they were singing, Dr. Hatcher,
together with six Regents present and a number of Uni-
versity of Michigan faculty members, retired and put on
academic gowns and caps. When singing was over, they
marched into the main room where the Convocation was
held, and President Hatcher conferred on me a Degree of
Doctor of Laws. I was given a diploma, and proper scarf was
hung about my neck . . .

At the close, all hands joined in singing Michigan's Anthem,
"Yellow and Blue." Before I could get away I rtrinfr more
than half of the folks present crowded up front and shook
hands with me, complimented me, and showered birthday
greetings upon me, all of which was extremely pleasant . . .

Among the birthday greetings Mott received was one from
President Eisenhower:

On your 80th birthday I join with your friends and neigh-
bors at tonight's testimonial dinner in a greatly deserved
tribute to you for a lifetime of constructive work and service.
Your selection for the Big Brother Award earlier this year
was a highly merited distinction. To everyone in Flint I am
sure it was fitting recognition of many years devoted to the
betterment of your community, your State, and your Nation.

But tonight's celebration, because of its spontaneous ex-
pression of affection and esteem by those who know you
best in close association, must be a heart-warming and per-
sonal satisfaction to you.

As you look about the room this evening, I hope that you
will recognize that those there represent many thousands of
others who with like affection and esteem wish you long
years of active, happy living.

209

Back in Utica, New York, the city he had left a half-century

earlier Mott was honored on his fiftieth anniversary as a

member of Utica's Ziyara Shrine Temple; he received a fifty-
year Shriner pin and a fifty-year medal from the Grand Lodge
of Masons of New York.

Paul Gallico, in the December, 1955, Reader's Digest, in
an article called, "Rediscovery of America," made a compar-
ison between the Flint he had seen in 1937 and the Flint of
1955, characterizing Flint's great progress through those
eighteen years in a significant phrase: "blurring of class lines."
That may seem understatement for an ideal, but it does suggest
the development of a community social unity and common
purpose that may well sum up the whole American idea;
certainly it is a remarkable tribute to the end-product, in Flint,
of twenty years of Mott Foundation exploration and accom-
plishment toward the good community ideal.

270

NINETEEN

The year 1956 witnessed rapid growth of Flint's educational-
cultural plans. It was announced by the Flint Journal, January
11, that the board of education had indicated that the new
senior college building to be constructed for the use of the
University of Michigan would be called the Mott Memorial
Building, with a plaque to be inscribed: "Erected by Charles
Stewart Mott in memory of his parents, John C. Mott and
Isabella T. Mott."

In February, 1956, approval was given to the final plans for
the Mott Memorial Building. Dr. David M. French was ap-
pointed dean of the University of Michigan in Flint, and it was
announced that the first university classes would open in the
fall of 1956, utilizing junior college buildings, and that the
Mott Memorial Building would be ready by the fall of 1957.

April 1 1 brought a meeting of the Notre Dame Club of Flint,
at which Frank J. Manley was named Flint's "Man of the
Year" for "responsible Christian citizenship." Robert Sibilsky,
president of the club, made the presentation, staling that
Manley "has always been interested in and sympathetic with
the needs of others — particularly of children and youth. But,
being a man of action and a creative leader, he has never been
content to just 'feel sorry.' He has constantly rolled up his
sleeves and pitched in to do something to improve the situation.
What's more, his dynamic example has induced hundreds of
others to help."

Mott spoke forcefully of Manley's dedication to the good of
the community: "What Frank Manley has done should be
apparent to all citizens of Flint who have their eyes and ears
open. ... In the last analysis, the Mott program is Frank
Manley . . . and its results are due to one man, Frank Manley.

211

I'm tickled to death that he received the award he so justly
deserves. God bless Frank Manley." George V. Gundry, a
member of the board of education, emphasized the contribu-
tion Manley's "zeal, spirit, and enthusiasm" had made to
growth of the Mott program. Walter E. Scott, also of the board
of education, noted that, to borrow industrial terminology, "we
are taking an inventory of a most distinguished person." The
Rev. C. C. McHale praised Manley as one "blessed with the
power to influence others," and indicated how well he believed
Manley had employed this blessing for the good of others.
Nothing could have pleased Mott more than this public
acknowledgement of the rare and fine qualities he had recog-
nized in Manley so many years before.

A few weeks later, the Frank J. Manley Swimming Pool at
Northern High School was dedicated, and a portrait of Manley
was unveiled in the foyer. Mott made the formal presentation
of the pool, and Dr. Spencer W. Myers accepted for the
schools, mentioning that the "Mott-Manley team is unbeat-
able." Dr. Charles L. Anspach, president of Central Michigan
College, conferred upon Manley an honorary Doctor of Laws
Degree, and Dr. Wilbur E. Moore, head of clinical services at
Central Michigan, read a citation honoring Manley.

At Michigan State Normal College in the June Commence-
ment, William F. Minardo received a degree never before
granted: master of community school administration. The
course had been developed under a cooperative graduate train-
ing plan worked out with the Flint Board of Education and
Mott Foundation and Michigan State Normal College in
Ypsilanti. Appropriately, Minardo was the first to complete the
work for a master's degree, since he had been Flint's first com-
munity-school director. Dr. W. Fred Totten directed the course,
built around the laboratory offered by the Flint community
schools, and designed to develop the wide scope of skills, tech-
niques, and personal qualities required by this new and im-
portant vocation.

A fifty-two-day tour of Europe was sponsored by the Foun-
272

dation as an adult education experimental development A
group of twenty-seven people toured eight European countries
under this plan. The steady progress of the health-achievement
program was demonstrated when end-of-school-year figures
showed 12,751 children — 52.6 per cent of the 24,207 enroll-
ment in public and parochial schools — in the health-guarded
category, having all known medical defects corrected. Some
6,000 children were enrolled in Mott Foundation Tot-Lots for
the summer — and the high point of their program, as every
year, was the "Motti Gras" show. The children's theater pro-
gram also showed splendid development under the guidance
of Mrs. Helen Hardy Brown and Mrs. Mary Nell Humes;
children are encouraged to develop dramatic characters from
stories they know — improvising rather than learning lines by
rote — for a kind of creative expression not otherwise experi-
enced.

The Mott Foundation budget projected for the 1956-1957
year was in excess of $800,000 — not including a $500,000
gift for construction of a new special-education building for
the use of handicapped children. By mid- August, Dr. David
M. French announced that the Flint College of the University
of Michigan had already received two hundred applications
for admission. Mott adult education classes were expanded,
and in-service training for teachers was intensified.

On September 4, 1956, Mott received the distinguished
service medal from the American Legion at the Legion's Na-
tional Convention in Los Angeles. Mott accepted the tribute
"to a fine organization of able and dedicated workers number-
ing several hundreds who are putting into effect in Flint what
they call the Mott Program of Education, Health, and Recrea-
tion— for the purpose of not only making Flint a better place
in which to live, but also to furnish an example for other com-
munities to copy — which they are already doing."

One more award which came to Mott in February, 1957,
was a reminder of the fact that engineering was a major facet
of his life. The Michigan Society of Professional Engineers

273

presented to Mott the award as Michigan Engineer of the Year,
accompanied by a framed citation.

On October 8, 1956, the Flint College of the University of
Michigan was officially opened; a formal convocation pro-
vided appropriate ceremonies. And the junior college opened
also — with 2,247 full-time students enrolled.

The Flint College and Cultural Development raised its an-
nounced aim to $20 million and was incorporated as a non-
profit organization. Bids for the Enos A. and Sarah De Waters
Art Center were received; the total figure was over $950,000,
of which DeWaters had already contributed $700,000.

Pledges of $25,000 or more were coming in at an impressive
rate. In December, bids were requested for construction of a
planetarium and a theater. It was announced that the plane-
tarium would be named for Robert T. Longway, and the
theater for F. A. Bower. The two men were old associates —
from the days they had first worked at the Weston-Mott Com-
pany— and it was most appropriate that the two buildings
named for them were to stand side by side. Members of the
family of Cady B. Durham, one of the strong and able auto-
mobile production men of the earlier days, contributed a total
of $325,000; it was announced that the swimming pool to be
built at the college and cultural center would be named for
Durham.

Early in 1957, Dr. John H. Hannah, president of Michigan
State University, toured Flint at Mott's invitation to see for
himself how the community schools operated and to have a
look at the college and cultural development. Mott and
Manley took him to Freeman School, Potter, and then to Fair-
view — where, since the first experimental work, a gymnasium-
auditorium had been built. They visited other new schools,
stopped in at Northern High School to see the Manley Pool,
then came back to the junior college campus to look over the
buildings there and see how fully they were being used. A
newspaper story quotes Hannah as saying, "The program has
accomplished wonders in bringing the residents together to
214

work for the common good. I feel that it will have a tremen-
dous impact throughout this state and the rest of the country."
Another quotation from a different newspaper is even more
sweeping: "For the first time, I am seeing an actual exempli-
fication of a program getting the job done that so many others

are only talking about I can think of nothing any person

or organization could do to make better use of education than
what is being accomplished in Flint."

The original $12-million goal of the college and cultural
development had seemed imaginative; the later $20-million
figure had seemed proportionately more unrealistic — but by
mid-January, 1957, contributions had already reached $15,-
167,000, and the snowball was still rolling. With a $25,000
minimum on sponsorships, 160 sponsors had akeady come
forward. Mr. Enos A. DeWaters simplified bookkeeping on
his account by adding another $300,000 to make his contribu-
tion an even $1 million.

Another sponsorship of exceptional interest came from Dr.
and Mrs. Arthur Pound, honoring the memory of Mrs. Pound's
father, W. A. Paterson — who had opened Flint's first carriage
factory in 1869, had made roadcarts for Durant and Dort in
1886, and had manufactured the Paterson automobile from
1908 until 1921. Dr. Arthur Pound is well-known as the
author of The Turning Wheel the story of the first twenty-five
years of General Motors, and for many other fine books. It
was he who had edited the Flint Arrow supporting Mott's
first candidacy for mayor of Flint.

On February 28, and the first two days of March, the
Michigan State Department of Public Instruction and the
Flint Board of Education and Mott Foundation sponsored a
three-day workshop in community education — with the Flint
community schools as the laboratory. Dr. Clair L. Taylor,
state superintendent of public instruction, stated the theme of
the event as "Community improvement through community
leadership and cooperative effort."

Dr. Ernest O. Melby, national authority on community

215

education, made the first major talk of the three-day confer-
ence. His subject was "The Community-Centered School."
One of his comments about Flint's accomplishment was:
"You've translated into reality the ideas I've been talking
about for years." He defined a community-centered school as

. . . not a community doing things for people, but an educa-
tional system which helps people do things for themselves. The

key is getting people to do things If we give every man,

women, and child in America a chance to take active part in
education, we won't have to worry about shortages of build-
ings and teachers. We can get anything we want. At the same
time, if we have faith in our people, and respect our people,
we can learn from them, and in working together they will
come to respect and love each other. Think of the problems

in human relations that would solve I'm convinced that

what really educates people is not what they hear or what
they read, but what they do.

Mott welcomed the visiting educators, thanking them for
their visit because, "It's useless for us to send people out to
tell the story — they wouldn't believe it. The only way we can
accomplish our goal is for you to come here and see what's
going on."

On the second day of the workshop, Dr. Shane MacCarthy,
executive director of the President's Council on Youth Fitness,
spoke to the group. He defined fitness as including "not only
physical improvement, but mental and moral strengthening as
well." He pointed out that, as a nation, we are sports-conscious
— but mostly in observer roles. He suggested that it was a
community responsibility to help encourage the "simple con-
cept of exercise" by providing opportunity and incentive.

Another speaker, Dr. Howard Y. McClusky, of the Univer-
sity of Michigan, pointed out that today's organization of
society tends to separate people rather than to bring them
together; he saw the community school as the agency to bring
people back to that socially healthy neighborhood and family
cooperation essential to community betterment
216

Dr. G. Robert Koopmen, state associate superintendent of
public instruction, reviewed the development of the community-
school idea, concluding that the preparatory and experimental
phases had been completed so that now the concept could be
applied. He said: "That's why we're in Flint, where the experi-
ment has been carried furthest. Our aim is to spread the idea
to as many communities in the State as possible."

Dr. James A. Lewis, University of Michigan vice-president
for student affairs, added, "It's time we start using what knowl-
edge we have about why people and groups behave the way
they do. If we want warm and friendly people, we've got to
provide the kind of climate they can grow in. Schools have
got to go beyond supplying knowledge. Knowledge alone won't
change behavior."

The visiting educators included some 150 people from 35
Michigan communities. On the final day of the conference,
Dr. Taylor asked those attending the workshop to "Make your-
selves committees to find out what you can do in your com-
munities in the light of what you've learned here." He asked
if it wouldn't be appropriate to add a new meaning to the
initials of C. S. Mott's given names, to make "C. S. stand for
'Community Service.' " He reminded his listeners that in pioneer
days, the one-room school was the center of community activi-
ties, and added, "Here is a large city that has recaptured that
pioneer concept. The idea is contagious, and I can't see any
reason why it won't spread over the entire state."

Mott, Manley, and Dr. Robert K. Burns contributed to the
final session of the workshop — and the visitors expressed
enthusiasm about what they had seen and learned in Flint
The first workshop in community education was obviously an
overwhelming success — because the visitors had not merely
heard about what was being done in Flint, they had seen it
happening. A survey of Flint's community schools showed an
average weekly attendance of 24,000 in after-school and eve-
ning recreation activities — events scheduled outside of regular
school hours — during the winter.

217

In April, Flint re-elected three members of the board of
education — William S. Ballenger, Jr., S. S. Stewart, Jr., and
Walter E. Scott — for six-year terms — which the Flint Journal
saw as "a ringing indorsement of the policies and operations"
of the board. Additional sponsorships kept coming in for the
college and cultural development A tremendous science fair
was presented at Ballenger Field House. Dedication of the
Guy W. Selby Community School added one more KnV in the
chain of progress. A new library was planned to serve both the
junior and senior colleges.

At the Flint Youth Bureau's thirteenth annual banquet,
Director Joseph T. Ryder reported 677 Big Brothers active in
the program and Dr. Ernest O. Melby re-emphasized his enthu-
siasm for Flint:

To make freedom live in the world, we first must make it
live in a community. ... If you can build a community in
which people have love, understanding, and respect for each

other, you're paving the way for a sound world I came

to Michigan and heard about the Flint program. I've been
here six times in the last four months and I'm not sure even
you realize fully what is going on in Flint.

First I saw what a vision of the future of youth and of
America Frank Manley has. Then I met Charles Stewart
Mott and was deeply impressed with the insight, sympathy,
and understanding of this great human being.

Dr. Melby saw the success of the Foundation program as
based in the belief of its leadership that something could be
done. He felt that Flint was finding the answer to the problem
that had bothered him most — that with fantastic prosperity,
people are not happy. He stated that the Flint Youth Bureau
represented the approach to the good society in which "We
must have people working with the desire to be of service to
humanity,"

One of the Mott Foundation activities most dedicated to
such service to humanity, the Stepping Stones, paid tribute
to Michael H. Hamady as guest of honor at their sixteenth
218

annual banquet — in recognition of the meaning of the gift,
back in 1943, of his $175,000 Branch Road estate as a club-
house for the Stepping Stone clubs.

It was apparent that the second of the Foundation's two
basic objectives — functioning as a pilot project for other
communities — was being realized when six Flint school and
Foundation staff members were invited to participate in the
National Conference on Education for Leisure in Washington,
D.C. Also, four of the five main speakers scheduled at the
conference were authorities who had already visited Flint and
commented enthusiastically on Flint's community schools.

Another school — the new Everett A. Cummings Community
School — was dedicated May 20, 1957. The dedication hap-
pened to fall on the forty-seventh birthday of the man for
whom the school was named, board of education member
Everett A. Cummings.

With Flint voters approving continuation of a 2%-miIl
debt-service levy for ten years, the city could follow a planned
program for construction of needed schools — particularly
junior and senior high schools required by the growing popula-
tion. Walter E. Scott, president of the board of education,
called the favorable vote an "inspiring responsibility to board
members."

The Mott Foundation's experimental developments were,
as always, exploring new possibilities. A family-participation
arts and crafts workshop provided an opportunity for whole
families to work together on a variety of activities — pottery
making, metal enameling, basket weaving, sketching, wood
carving, or other arts and crafts. A new athletic program, the
Flint Junior Olympics, offered 225 highly varied events, with
1,500 participants. The four-day athletic program (witnessed
with great approval by Dr. Shane MacCarthy, who brought the
greetings of President Eisenhower) was climaxed by a pole-
vaulting exhibition by Bob Richards, and an impressive gym-
nastic performance by Ernestine Russell. Bishop-method sew-
ing classes had proved highly popular in the adult education

279

program, and plans were made for an enrollment of 1,500 in
61 such sewing classes in 30 centers.

Michigan State University announced for the fall of 1957
the initiation of a new program for developing leadership in
community education by extending graduate credit beyond the
master's degree toward a special degree as director of com-
munity education. Dr. W. Fred Totten, Flint's director of
graduate study in the field of community education, announced
that the plan was an extension of the in-service program insti-
tuted in 1954 with Eastern Michigan College.

The community-school program in Flint, by the fall of 1957,
was reaching thirty-six different schools — with the services of
thirty-four community-school directors.

For the college and cultural development, a $100,000 con-
tribution was received in memory of Harry H. Bassett — the
gift of his widow, Mrs. Jessie H. Swenson, and his son, Harry
Hood Bassett.

In September, 1957, Flint's community-school program
received new recognition. The twenty-eighth annual confer-
ence of the Michigan Association of School Administrators
was built around the theme: "The Community School and the
Shape of Things to Come." One of the principal speakers, Dr.
Paul H. Hanna, Professor of Education at Stanford University
and an international authority on community schools, visited
Flint just before going to the conference and promised that the
Flint story would be adequately presented. Manley also was
invited to bring the pioneering Flint development before the
conference.

After visiting Flint community schools, Dr. Hanna said that
Flint had the most thorough and effective program he had seen.

Some places are doing some of the things you are. Other
cities have what they call community schools, but still lock
up the doors at 5 o'clock each afternoon . . .

One of the chief impressions I get here is that through the
Mott Foundation you've shown that the public schools are
instruments for directing leadership for community improve-

220

ment. The school is the only instrument which completely
represents all the people. The school offers permanent facili-
ties and a permanent staff.

The school is the coordination agency for all resources of
a community. It is more than a physical facility, but some-
thing to be used by neighbors to help themselves make the
community improvements they need to do together, such as
in health, recreation, and adult education.

Success of the whole system depends on a building and
training leadership being available. That certainly is the key
to your success in Flint.

The committee of sponsors of the college and cultural devel-
opment reported that E. A. DeWaters— who had previously
contributed $1 million to the project, had added an additional
$362,000 to pay the complete cost of the art center which
would bear the name of himself and his wife. Original plans
of the center had been enlarged to provide twelve classrooms,
conference, and study rooms— found necessary to meet the
growing college enrollment This added gift brought the Devel-
opment within $3.5 million of its $20-mMon goal. Flint
Junior College enrollment was 3,335— as compared with 736

in 1952. , „

On October 2, 1957, it was announced that the Mott Foun-
dation budget for the 1957-1958 school year would exceed
$1 million for the first time. On the same day, the Mott Memo-
rial Building was dedicated to the use of the Flint College of
the University of Michigan. Dr. Harlan H. Hatcher, president
of the University, and Dr. Alexander G. Ruthven, president-
emeritus, attended the ceremonies along with the regents.
Walter E. Scott, president of the Flint Board of Education,
presented Dr. David M. French, dean of the Flint College of
the University of Michigan. Dean French discussed the facili-
ties provided by the new building. Mott told the audience that
Dr Ruthven, back in 1946, had indicated the day was coming
when the university might have to open branches off-campus
and mentioned his own early efforts to get a branch of the

221

university for Flint. Meanwhile, he had joined in Flint's efforts
to develop the best junior college anywhere. Both efforts had
now become realities. He presented the keys of the Mott Me-
morial Building to Walter E. Scott, who then presented them
to Dr. Hatcher. Dr. Hatcher called the new school a "manful
attack on some of the problems that lie ahead for higher edu-
cation." He assured his listeners that "the University of Mich-
igan will do its best to carry on proudly in its great tradition
here in Flint." Mott unveiled the bronze plaque in the lobby
of the new building:

ERECTED BY

CHARLES STEWART MOTT

IN MEMORY OF HIS PARENTS

JOHN C. MOTT AND ISABELLA T. MOTT

One of Mott's interests had always been sound understand-
ing of the fundamentals of economics. This led to a project
in economic education which was started, with the backing of
the Foundation, by Dr. Robert K. Burns, dean of the Univer-
sity of Chicago School of Business. By 1957, the project was
in operation in eight colleges and universities, sponsored by
the University of Chicago with the aid of a grant from the Mott
Foundation. Training of teachers, development of leadership,
getting the fundamentals of our economic system clearly and
simply to the people — are among the objectives of the pro-
gram. Dr. Bums, in outlining the application of economic
instruction at the high school level to a group in Flint, pointed
out that only three of every hundred high school students were
talcing a course in economics — and that better economic under-
standing of our own system is an essential tool in meeting the
ideological challenge of communism. Dr. Burns said: "The
future of free people depends on what happens to free enter-
prise and education."

In November, 1957, the Mott Foundation contributed $1
million for the construction of a University of Chicago indus-
trial relations building to house the expanding program devel-

222

oped by Dr. Burns, centered on economic education, leader-
ship, and communications. Mott explained the gift, as quoted
in the Chicago Sun-Times of December 8, 1957, by saying
that people "simply have not acquired the economic facts of
life. Dr. Burns has a plan to get some of these facts across to
the people of the United States through the Industrial Rela-
tions Center. He has a staff of 80, and they need a compre-
hensive single building to do their work properly. We agreed
to pay for the building, not simply as a gift to the University of
Chicago, which will own the building, but as a tool with which
to accomplish this particular proposition."

225

TWENTY

One of the reasons for the effectiveness of the Foundation's
programs from the very earliest days has been good com-
munications; it does no good to offer splendid opportunities
if the people who might participate do not even know the op-
portunities exist. Newspapers, radio, and television have always
found good stories, good features, good news in Foundation
activities — and have been generous with space and time. The
Flint Journal, for example, has not only found countless news
and feature stories — it has also printed schedules of commu-
nity-school activities regularly. Radio Station WFDF has pro-
duced many programs in behalf of Foundation developments,
including a series for several years under the general title "Op-
portunity Unlimited" — as well as contributing broadcast time
to conduct two Mott Foundation adult education courses by
radio for the whole listening area. Other radio stations and
television stations have been similarly active in behalf of the
Foundation.

During 1957, 826 individuals came to Flint specifically
to study and observe the community-school program. They
came from ten different foreign nations, seventeen different
states of the Union, and eighty-eight different communities
in Michigan. They included members of the President's cab-
inet, college presidents, deans, professors, school superin-
tendents from large cities and small, civic leaders, teachers,
industrialists, university students, Fulbright scholars, and news-
paper and magazine writers and editors. The Foundation, in
following the second of its two basic objectives — serving as
an example — developed a program for receiving visitors and
making sure they saw the real grass-roots activities that make
up the reality of the community school program. All visitors

224

were introduced to the simple, powerful, down-to-earth ideals
of the program.

Visitors were taken on tours of a variety of activities, and a
sincere attempt was made to help them find the answers they
were looking for to the problems that concerned them most.
Guests were usually entertained at breakfasts or luncheons
provided by community groups in the schools they were visit-
ing. They were invited to sit in on classes of special interest,
and thus they had an ideal opportunity to talk with the com-
munity people actually participating in the activities. Visitors
did not get a description of the program — they shared in it
and had the actual experience of belonging to one aspect after
another of it, even if only briefly. They didn't have to be told
that people in vast numbers were responding — they saw this
for themselves, and even felt the stirring of response in them-
selves to the interesting, enjoyable, informal, humanly satisfy-
ing activities — thanks to the circumstances under which their
visits were arranged. Coordinators, principals, building direc-
tors, and other staff members acted as guides for groups of
visitors. Foundation people were not only mindful of that
second objective of the program — encouragement of outside
communities to develop their own community schools — but
they have always had so much pride and pleasure in the Foun-
dation's work that they have found it a rewarding experience
to help others discover the human values and real results that
are evident in the program in action.

No matter when visitors come, there is always plenty to
see — because the Mott Foundation program goes on around
the year.

"The Flint story of education should be carried to every
community in the Country. Flint Junior College is an inspira-
tion itself, with its young, progressive faculty and dedicated
administrative staff. People in Flint have a right to be proud
of their College and Cultural Development — there is nothing
quite like it in the world." This was the comment of Dr. Jesse
P. Bogue, executive secretary, when members of the American

225

Association of Junior Colleges visited Flint for a conference,
and to learn about the educational program.

Others were equally generous with their appreciation.

On March 1 9, Dr. Kevin McCann, special consultant to Presi-
dent Eisenhower, arrived in Flint for a three-day review of the
community schools, Mott Foundation, and college and cultural
development. This was the result of a visit which Mott, his
son Harding, Manley, and Dr. Spencer Myers had made to the
office of Marion B. Folsom, Secretary of Health, Education,
and Welfare, earlier in March. It had then been planned for
Dr. McCann to visit Flint and make a report to President
Eisenhower and Secretary Folsom on the relationship of Flint
educational development to proposed national programs for
improved education. Mrs. McCann accompanied her husband
to Flint.

On the evening of their arrival, the McCanns were invited
to attend the annual-report meeting of the Mott Foundation
Co-ordinating Committee. The next day, they first visited the
Potter School, where they had breakfast served by a mothers'
club, and then toured the new Tuuri-Mott Special Education
Building for handicapped children. In the afternoon they
toured the college and cultural development, and that evening
they were guests at the Industrial Executives' Club, where Dr.
McCann was asked to talk to the audience of some 2,000. He
spoke in enthusiastic terms of what he was seeing in Flint,
indicating that never in all of his life and experience had he
been in a community where such remarkable things were
carried on in recreation, in health, and community education.

The next morning, the McCanns visited Jefferson School,
where they saw community-school activities in action. Mott
notes in his diary that the McCanns were so interested that
they could have spent the whole day there. Before 10 A.M. they
drove to Pierce School, where they sat in on a meeting of
school principals, community-school directors, and administra-
tive staff members. Elmer L. Galley, Mott Foundation science
consultant, discussed the current emphasis on teaching more
226

children to be scientists. Galley's theme was: "We must develop
understanding of the hearts of men as well as of the hearts of
atoms." Human understanding was vital to world survival, he
said — so he advised caution in trying to push students into
science, and suggested that we "search out our talented chil-
dren. But let's encourage them to follow their natural interests,
whether they lie in art, music, or science." He offered a well-
organized group of practical guides in improving the quality
of science teaching.

What Dr. McCann thought about what he had seen in Flint
was indicated in his comments at the Pierce School seminar
that morning. The Flint Journal quoted from Dr. McCann's
remarks:

After 10 years of searching, all of a sudden I see a pattern
that looks like the answer to the biggest problem of our
time. . . .

In Flint I've seen for the first time what looks like a com-
munity-wide frontal attack.

Evidently you have the elements here common to all Amer-
ican communities. But you're the only people I've seen — and
I've observed education in a lot of cities — who have put all
the elements together and come up with a pattern which
should be common for the whole United States.

I'd just like to sit down now and try to figure out how
your ideas of community education can be spread.

In April, 1958, five hundred members of the Michigan
Rural Teachers Association held their three-day annual con-
vention in Flint — with "Community Education" as the theme
and the Mott Foundation as host. Just two days later, the state
department of public instruction, Flint Board of Education,
and Mott Foundation sponsored the second annual community
education workshop — in which there was heartening testimony
from representatives of communities attending the first work-
shop the previous year, now reporting that the "Flint influence"
had produced encouraging beginnings of community-school
programs in their areas. These good reports came from the

227

Clio and Dye schools near Flint, and three other communities
farther away: Pontiac's Will Rogers School, Vicksburg's com-
munity schools, and the schools of Holland, Mich. Testimony
on the results to date was enthusiastic in each instance — and
there were some 150 representatives of thirty-five communities
attending this second workshop.

Mott found his days busier than ever, with never quite time
enough to go around. At the annual banquet of the Michigan
Education Association in Lansing, he was given a distinguished
service award, which he accepted in behalf of Manley and the
Foundation staff. And then, to demonstrate how strongly he
felt that the credit should be passed on, he opened a carton
he had brought along, and took from it a large sterling silver
tray on which was inscribed, "Frank J. Manley, Spark Plug
and Director of Mott Program, in appreciation of service —
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, April, 1958." Manley had
no inkling of such a presentation, and, as Mott notes in his
diary, "was pretty well overcome." Mott then presented Mrs.
Manley with a sterling silver coffee set.

Flint became the 1958 host for the National Science Fair;
Manley made recreational and other facilities of the Founda-
tion available to the visiting contestants from everywhere, and
special events were arranged to make their visit to Flint enjoy-
able, with teen clubs as hosts.

The first graduating class of the Flint College of the Univer-
sity of Michigan was honored in a convocation June 13, 1958;
on the next day, the seventy-six Flint graduates joined the
rest of the University's graduating class at Michigan Stadium
at Ann Arbor.

Recognition of Mott Foundation Director Manley's concern
for physical fitness and for constructive youth activities came
in the form of his appointment by President Eisenhower as a
member of the President's Citizens Advisory Committee on
Fitness of American Youth. Shane MacCarthy, executive
director of the President's Council on Youth Fitness, desig-
nated Manley as one of those who had assumed initiative in
228

developing youth-fitness programs. Other members of the
committee included General Mark W. Clark, Clarence L.
Munn, George Romney, Arthur Godfrey, Robert W. Sarnoff,
and a number of other men of accomplishment. Appropriately,
the announcement of Manley's appointment reached the news-
papers just one day after the final figures on the completed
school year's Mott Foundation Health Achievement Program,
showing 15,860 of 27,000 pupils (58.7 per cent) in the health-
guarded category at the close of the nineteenth year of work
with Flint school children.

As detailed earlier in these pages, Mott had attended an
appreciation banquet in honor of Harlow H. Curtice in Flint
on September 25, 1935. On that occasion Mott had felt that
there should have been a "strong and direct statement" which
he did not find in the references to Curtice, and so he wrote
such a statement and showed it to Michael Gorman, Editor
of the Flint Journal, who printed it under the title, "TRIBUTE

PAID CURTICE IN SPEECH THAT WASN'T MADE." Mott Sent

Sloan a copy of the "speech that wasn't made."

Just twenty-two years and eleven months later, Mott attended
a meeting of General Motors Directors in New York, August
25, 1958, followed by an appreciation dinner at the Union
Club in honor of Curtice, retiring as president of General
Motors. Mott had in his pocket a copy of the 1935 "speech
that wasn't made," and before the dinner, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.,
said to Mott: "Stewart, you're such an old director and know
so much about Curtice I would like to have you tell the direc-
tors something about him." Mott agreed to do so, pleased that
at last the "speech that wasn't made" would be made — and in
circumstances that would add infinitely to its impact. However,
Sloan apparently forgot all about calling on Mott — and again
the "speech that wasn't made" wasn't made. Back at his hotel
after the dinner, Mott once more mailed a copy of the "speech
that wasn't made" to Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.

In that 1935 speech Mott had made a "strong and direct
statement" recognizing the same exceptional qualities in Cur-

229

tice that were to make him an eminently successful president
of General Motors. Mott's respect, admiration, and friendship
for Curtice have been unwavering over the years. Curtice has
always had that quality which Mott also found in Nash, com-
mon sense; at the same time, he has had an element of bold-
ness, dash, creative imagination, and courage reminiscent of
Durant, disciplined by a down-to-earth quality of realism;
these plus dedication to the concept of progress (as embodied
in his splendid statement: "Anything and everything can be
improved"). And beyond these, Curtice has had the capacity
for decision and the remarkable prescience which have always
been characteristic of Mott. As the head of the business, he
exercised brilliantly the functions Mott had defined: ". , . to
sort the wheat from the chaff, to hold up a standard to work
to, and to make decisions of prime importance."

The acquisition of the J. Dallas Dort home on Kearsley
Street, immediately across from the new location of the Flint
Public Library, provided a touch of historic continuity to the
college and cultural development, as well as adding a music
center to the project. This impressive Georgian mansion built
in 1906 by Durant's partner in the old Durant-Dort Carriage
Company may well serve as a distinguished link to some of
the glories of the past for Flint; it has been designated as the
J. Dallas Dort Music Center. Dort was the driving force of
civic improvement activities for Flint in his lifetime; it is most
appropriate that his beautiful home be part of today's college
and cultural development.

The Mott Foundation was host to a State Pilot Leadership
Workshop for elementary school science consultants in Sep-
tember. This three-day conference was sponsored by the
Michigan Department of Public Instruction and its science
education curriculum committee.

In September, also, The Saturday Review carried Robert
Lewis Shayon's "Report from the Grass Roots," in which Flint's
community schools, and the contribution Manley has made to
educational opportunity in Flint, were given much credit
230

A gift of $1 million from the Mott Foundation for construc-
tion of a library to serve both colleges brought the contributions
of the Foundation to the college and cultural development to
almost $4 million.

The death, on October 11, 1958, of Michael A. Gorman,
Editor of the Flint Journal for thirty years, was a major loss
to Flint in general and to the college and cultural development
in particular. Among the many tributes to Gorman's memory
from friends everywhere is this from Mott: "Mike's untimely
passing was a sad blow to all of his many friends and a great
loss to the City of Flint, in whose growth and development he
was so interested. In the College and Cultural Development he
was the spark plug. It had become his prime interest and he
seemed more concerned in its completion than in his own life.
He will be greatly missed."

Flint's third annual community education workshop, in the
latter part of October, brought 250 representatives of Michigan
communities to Flint to learn first-hand about the community-
school program. As in the previous workshops, distinguished
authorities indicated their belief that Flint had found answers
to the most vital problems of our time through the revitalization
of education in the community-school program. There were
also enthusiastic reports from representatives of communities
that had been making progress in developing their own com-
munity-school programs after learning about Flint's accom-
plishment.

Among 1958 visitors to Flint was Gen. Edwin Norman
Clark, member of the executive committee of the President's
Citizens Committee on Youth Fitness, who made a careful
study of the Mott program.

In an enthusiastic letter to Mott, General Clark made many
comments about the effectiveness of the Foundation. Here is
one paragraph from his impressive letter:

Since returning to New York I have thought a great deal
of what I have seen and heard during my trip to Flint. I have
asked myself why this near-miracle is happening in Flint and

231

not happening in our other American communities. Frankly,
I am convinced that the approach to education, to com-
munity life, and to fitness of your youth and your adults in
Flint, is the approach which must be copied and put into
operation throughout America. It is immaterial whether it
should be pulled out into America by other communities and
by their responsible government officials, or pushed out by
you and the Mott Foundation, who know so well what you
have accomplished. Both things should be done as quickly
as possible. I for one, am going to have some conversations
with some of my associates who are interested in the problem
of youth fitness, both here and in Washington. I further hope
that you will allow me to return to Flint soon so that I may
gain a better knowledge of your activities and successes. I
want to thank you, Frank Manley, and your associates in
Flint for the great pleasure and for the great inspiration which
have been given to me, and by which I have gained much. It
must be a source of great satisfaction to you to see the Mott
Foundation Program in full flower in Flint

In the college and cultural development, Flint's new public
library was completed. The aesthetic stature of the project was
enhanced by the gift of a $500,000 collection of Renaissance
art objects of great distinction, by Mrs. Everett L. Bray. Addi-
tional sponsorships for the development were announced from
time to time. The board of education decided to name the new
Flint Junior College science building for Michael A. Gorman.

On December 3, 1958, Mott participated in the dedication
of the Tuuri-Mott Building which had been constructed with
the aid of a special $500,000 Foundation grant. It had been
built as part of Durant School, which is since known as the
Durant-Tuuri-Mott School. The building is specially adapted
to the education and rehabilitation of handicapped children.
In the course of the dedication, board of education president
Walter E. Scott read a citation honoring Mott and presented
him with a gigantic framed scroll listing awards previously
made to him. The scroll states that the "Mott Foundation
Program has enabled the Board of Education to undertake, on

252

behalf of the citizens of Flint, programs and services that have
brought national and international distinction to the commu-
nity. The City of Flint has become, in fact, a model for the
Nation." The scroll then lists the organizations and individuals
who have awarded distinctions to Mott.

In his diary for the day, Mott notes: "Condensed report of
so-called address as follows:'*

I am afraid that my merits have been overstated.

I admit my guilt of helping Flint folks,

But — they themselves have helped themselves:

First, by the ideas and energies of Frank Manley,

Second, by a sympathetic and co-operative School Board,

Third, by Frank's wonderful Stafi,

Fourth, by a grand P.T.A. and understanding public.

Time does not permit me to tell you

All that I think about Frank Manley.

Regarding Dr. Tuuri, he is simply the best ever —

Loved by the medical profession, his assistants, the folks
he serves, and by all of us.

Have I covered this point?

Then there is Cleo Popp and her devoted staff.

When Frank came to me regarding

The need for this building, I listened

Until he finished and then said:

"O.K. I am sure that Flint would

Construct this building some day,

But — we can't wait. Let's do it now — while we're alive.
And it's done, and we're all happy.

The last weeks of 1958 were shadowed for Mott by the
death, on November 25, of Charles F. Kettering, a man Mott
had always liked and admired to the highest degree. They had
been close friends, working together for many years. Mott was
in Bermuda when the news of Kettering's death came. He made
arrangements to reach Dayton, Ohio, for Kettering's funeral,
at which he was an honorary pallbearer.

The last entry in Mott's diary for 1958 is the listing of the

233

twelve Kettering statements printed on the small calendar
Kettering had sent him at Christmas the year before with a
"Kettering idea" under each month. One of these idea-
statements is:

With wining hands and open minds, the future will be greater
than the most fantastic story you can write. You will always
under-rate it

234

TWENTY-ONE

It would be difficult to find more appropriate words to begin
the last section of this book than those offered in the Kettering
Calendar for 1959, sent out by Eugene W. Kettering, with one
of his father's inspired perceptions for each month of the year,
including:

Nothing ever built arose to touch the skies unless some man
dreamed that it should, some man believed that it could, and
some man willed that it must.

Dreaming . . . believing . . . and willing . . . have been going
on in Flint since 1819 — but never at a greater pace, and with
richer and wider fields of accomplishment than in 1959. The
remarkable gains of 1958 continued with gathering momen-
tum. More sponsors joined the college and cultural develop-
ment; construction proceeded on new buildings; three new
schools were planned; the first Pilot Leadership Workshop in
High School Science Education was held in mid- January;
adult education class enrollments kept growing; and there were
more and more visitors to Flint. A publication of the United
States Information Service at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels had
published an article about Flint community schools which had
been made available in several languages to visitors to the
World Fair at Brussels. There had been 4,000 visitors to Flint
in 1958 to learn about the educational program — with repre-
sentatives from sixteen states and nine foreign countries, and
in 1959 they kept on coming.

The thirty-seventh yearbook of the American Association of
School Administrators, Educational Administration in a
Changing Community, speaks of the Flint community-school
program's remarkable level of effectiveness, and credits Flint's
development of a set of principles to administer such programs.

235

Dr. Myrtle F. Black, in reviewing the book, notes that most of
its recommendations "are in accordance with programs and
philosophies already established in Flint," and that the Flint
system "has assumed the stature of a laboratory and leadership
training center for other places striving to build more effective
school-community relationships/'

On March 10, 1959, delegates from forty-six cities in twenty-
three states met in Flint for the first National Community
School Clinic. In addressing the clinic, Dr. Lynn M. Bartlett,
state superintendent of public instruction, paid tribute to the
world fame of Flint's successful community-school program.
Later in the year, Peter Clancy, assistant director of the Mott
program, wrote a report about this first clinic for publication
in the Journal of Health — Physical Education — Recreation,
describing the months of planning for the event, and the pro-
gram conducted for the 250 people from many states attending.
The experiences and responses of the participants are de-
scribed, as they actually visited Flint's community schools and
talked with the neighborhood people whose community life
was so actively centered in the schools. C. C. Trillingham, Los
Angeles County superintendent of schools, summarized the
clinic at the final session, stating:

The community-school concept has been tremendously suc-
cessful for Flint I hope that all of us may take back with

us a clearer vision of what an all-out community commitment
to education can do, a renewed courage to utilize fully all of
our community resources, a deepened belief in the importance
of all of our people young and old, along with a desire to
serve them better, and a realization that the battle for uni-
versal education will not be won in Washington or our state
capitals, as important as they are. The battle will be won in
local neighborhood schools across this land, where we have
dedicated and competent teachers working with interested
and understanding parents and where the big job of adminis-
tration and school boards is to provide the necessary where-
withal for doing the kind of job that needs to be done. To me,
this is the lesson at Flint

236

In Mott's diary for March 24, 1959, the following aside is
of special interest:

Regarding small cars, it was about fifteen years ago that I
wrote to G.M. President, C. E. Wilson, regarding the desk-
ability and market for small cars and even sent specifications
of one that I thought would fill the bill. I showed the letter
to Ket and he said it was exactly what he had in mind, but,
although since then I have sent copies of the above-mentioned
letter to various men in General Motors, no interest seems to
have been shown in a small car of the type I described. It
was essentially a low-priced transportation job, which Ket
called the "Market Wagon/'

The world leader of the Salvation Army, Gen. Wilfred
Kitching, visited Flint and toured the college and cultural
center; he cabled Mott in Bermuda, stating that he was "deeply
impressed by your contributions to the well being of this com-
munity." Among the amazing variety of Mott-program courses
offered, one was announced on "How Best to Use Retirement/'
but Mott, approaching his eighty-fourth birthday, was as "un-
retired" as ever. General Motors contributed $650,000 to
Flint's YMCA building fund, as announced by John F. Gor-
don, president of the corporation. Expansion of the Foun-
dation's summer adult education courses was planned.

At the close of the two-day annual conference of the Adult
Education Association of Michigan, in Flint, in May, 1959,
Dr. Myrtle F. Black was elected to the board of directors of the
association. The relationship between adult education and
industry in Flint was outlined by Joseph A. Anderson, general
manager of AC Spark Plug Division, in a talk to the confer-
ence. Manley, Dr. Black, and George V. Gundry, of the
Flint Board of Education, also spoke to the conference, and the
association presented its award of merit to Mott.

On his eighty-fourth birthday, Mott found himself in the
midst of a typically busy day. That evening, he and Mrs. Mott
attended the annual dinner meeting of the Flint Chamber of
Commerce. An enormous birthday cake was wheeled in, and

257

the group sang "Happy Birthday." Mott made an off-the-cuff
response.

On the next day, June 3, 1959, Mott notes in his diary:

I recommend you read Admiral Rickover's book, "Educa-
tion and Freedom." I'll say that his opinions as given in his
book are right down the line, and very sensible and timely.
Last night I talked with new President of Board of Com-
merce and also Harding, and I would like to see if we can't
get Rickover here to talk before the Board of Commerce, or
a larger meeting. He is one of the brightest geniuses in the
country, highly educated, and I would like him to give a
synopsis of his book about which I think everyone should
have a knowledge. I would like to ask the Admiral's critics
to tell me in detail where they think his book is mistaken in
facts and fundamentals.

On June 25, Mr. and Mrs. Mott and their two younger
children, Stewart and Maryanne, met Mr. and Mrs. Manley,
Mr. and Mrs. Harding Mott, and Mr. and Mrs. Everett Cum-
mings, in Chicago to attend the dedication of the new Mott
Building at the University of Chicago. Manley and Dr. Robert
K. Burns presented talks about the work of the Foundation,
and the architect turned the keys of the building over to the
chancellor of the university.

Receiving a YMCA award for service to camping on June
30, Mott mentioned being camper number 101 at the first
YMCA camp ever opened. The 1959 award was made at the
Flint YMCA's Camp Copneconic — 345 acres at a lake given
by Mott years earlier. On July 1, the YMCA reached its $2.6-
miflion building fund goal.

In July, Mott attended a meeting at the junior college con-
cerned with working out a plan to carry on organized industrial
training and retraining, so that men looking for work would be
qualified to fill jobs requiring special skills, and men already
employed could be trained to advance to better jobs. The
committee was organized, with an excellently diversified mem-
bership, under the chairmanship of Edward T. Ragsdale, for-

238

mer general manager of Buick. Of this plan, Mott notes in his
diary:

It just so happens that this is the program that caused me
to promote the building of our Science and Arts Building. We
are already training graduate nurses, IBM operators, stenog-
raphers, cooks, dressmakers, etc., and today's program is
calculated to go a lot further. It presents many difficulties,
but we think something can be accomplished which could be
nationwide. All present seemed to be enthusiastic, and agreed
to serve on this committee to which other important men will
be added.

On September 10, Mott went to the Flint Junior College to
attend graduation ceremonies for seventy-four adults who had
not completed high school in their younger days, but who had
taken Mott-program high school credit courses to earn the
diplomas being awarded. Mott congratulated the graduates,
told them how pleased he was to be present at their graduation,
and expressed the hope that they would continue their educa-
tion with the more than nine hundred adult education courses
being offered.

Mott has always been interested in the work of the Genesee
County Chapter of the Michigan Society for Crippled Children
and Adults, and has felt that Mrs. Peggy McWhirter, executive
secretary, has done an excellent job. On October 21, Mott
offered a Foundation gift of $100,000 to construct a much-
needed building for the organization — to be located on the
Durant-Tuuri-Mott School grounds.

In the final days of October, Flint was host to the fourth
annual community education workshop, which again brought
hundreds of visitors to learn the Flint community-school story.
Mott talked to the workshop group at Freeman School on the
evening of October 28. The next day, Dr. Jess Davis, president
of Stevens Institute of Technology, and Dr. Fulton Cutting,
vice-president, visited Mott — and he was glad to have them see
Foundation activities in action.

Dr. Paul J. Misner, superintendent of Glencoe, Illinois,

239

schools, and past president of the American Association of
School Administrators, talked to the workshop visitors on
October 29. He submitted four observations about the com-
munity school:

1. The community school provides us with the only accept-
able means of achieving educational purposes within the
framework of democratic ideals and traditions;

2. The community school is the means whereby the resources
essential for a good educational program can be mobilized
with optimum effectiveness and economy;

3. The community school is the most promising means of
achieving dynamic curriculum programs geared more
effectively to changing social needs and conditions; and

4. The community school presents teachers and administra-
tors with new and challenging opportunities for leadership.

At a panel discussion that evening Mott was especially de-
lighted with the enthusiastic report of Mrs. Louis Asaro,
recreation chairman of the PTA Council, and member of the
City-School-Community Committee, Roseville, Michigan.
Roseville representatives had attended a Flint workshop, had
come back for more information, ("We needed community
schools and needed them bad/') had sponsored bus-load visits
to Flint, and had asked Mott staff members, including "Mr.
Frank Manley, who has been a god-father to us," to come to
Roseville and tell the story. They presented a program-plan to
the city. There were setbacks, problems, obstacles. They
thought funds to work with would be included in the city
budget— "$10,000 to start. We knew we couldn't start big" —
but found the funds not in the budget because of a hitch in
the program-plan submitted. "So again we called upon . . .
Mr. Manley." Manley, as always, was helpful in practical
ways. There was a budget hearing: ". . . we jammed the City
Hall. Have you ever tried saying no to about fifty screaming
females? Well, don't! Because they couldn't, and we were
granted $10,000 to start our community-school program. I
can remember that night so well. All of us were so happy — it
240

was like a new baby being born. We have always said that
Flint was like a big mother, always giving birth to other com-
munities." There were still roadblocks. But the school custo-
dians helped. The school board helped* They found a
building director. Manley had said that when they got a build-
ing director, they could send him to Flint for training if they
wanted to ("// we wanted to! Yes, we wanted to, because we
knew our building director would get the very best training
possible where it all started — in Flint.") The building director
returned from his training in Flint, explained the program,
and "That happy feeling came over us. We made it! We in

Roseville had community schools "

Mrs. Asaro addressed the others present who wanted com-
munity schools, too:

I hope in some small way this will help others to realize
that you, too, can have community schools. If s not an easy
hill to climb. You will have pitfalls; you will have some who
don't think you need it; you'll also have people saying we
can't afford it. Also, you'll hear Flint has Mr. Mott Yes, they
have got Charlie Mott, but we should be thankful that we have
the privilege to be able to see the wonderful things he has
done so that we can go home and say we want community
schools, too.

You don't need a Charlie Mott; you need only to be de-
termined to say we're going to have community schools and
work towards it, and someday say with a happy feeling, "We
have community schools in our town," because Flint is still
a big mother, and we in Roseville know she will continue to
give birth always.

On the strength of that report alone, the workshop would
have been a notable success.

The November, 1959, issue of Educational Leadership in
Michigan, published by the Michigan Association of School
Administrators, devoted its opening page to a story, " 'Proof of
the Pudding Is In the Eating'— Flint Program " The article
points out how different Flint is today from the way it was even

241

fifteen years ago, because, "The character of the community
has been uplifted." Specific evidence is cited to show why many
people believe the community school movement is responsible
for the improvement . . . with more adults enrolled for eve-
ning education and recreation courses than children in regular
school . . . with the juvenile-delinquency rate in Flint not
showing the rise reported elsewhere . . . with such experimental
ventures as retraining of unemployed people for new positions
. . . with demonstrated popular support for education, includ-
ing voters' passage of school-expense measures . . . with both
locally focused courses and others relating to the broader scope
of man in the modern world . . . with the remarkable esprit de
corps of the Flint teaching staff.

The December, 1959, issue of The Journal of Educational
Sociology is devoted completely to a report of the First National
"Community-School" Clinic — with Peter L. Clancy (assistant
director of the Mott program) and Milton A. Gabrielson as
issue editors. This comprehensive 68-page report 'explains the
background, development, and current status of the Mott Foun-
dation's activities, and includes the talks given by Harding
Mott, vice-president and business manager of the Foundation;
Dr. Ernest O. Melby, and Howard Y. McClusky, as well as the
panel-discussion contributions of Mrs. Fred L. Keeler, Dr.
James P. Lewis, Dr. Lewis Barrett, and Dr. C. C. Trillingham.
There are reports, also, on reactions of participants, postclinic
evaluation, and a bibliography on the community school. In
Harding Mott's greeting to the visiting educators, he said:

Now, there is nothing so powerful as a right idea, and as
you can see, our budget has expanded from $6,000 to its
present amount of over a million dollars a year. This right
idea has also helped encourage the late W. S. Ballenger to
establish his trust fund for endowing chairs of learning at the
junior college. This in turn inspired other leading citizens of
the Sponsor's Committee of the College and Cultural Center
to further expedite the completion of the over-all $25,000,000
project that many of you have seen. This right idea also

242

caused the tax-payers of this city to levy many millions of
dollars against themselves to provide many of the buildings
that you have seen in the city today. This building we are in
now is just a sample of the last model that rolled off the line.
We certainly are indebted to the Board of Education for its
vision and raised sights in providing such outstanding leader-
ship for the Flint school system. Further, this leadership
has caused the state legislature to support a branch of the
University of Michigan on the college campus

Mott's diary in recent years has made frequent reference to
the development and operation of the basic-economics pro-
gram. On December 16, 1959, Mott and Dr. Burns attended
a meeting at Bryant Junior High School gymnasium at which
about 700 people who had taken the adult education basic-
economics course received their certificates of completion.
Manley opened the meeting, and Mott and Burns functioned as
a panel to answer questions. Mott was very conscious of the
necessity of accurate, clear, careful answers to the questions —
some of which were on the complex and ponderous side. He
maintained his contention that sound economics is common
sense above all, with such comments as, "Everybody knows that
if you continue to spend more than you take in, you'll go bank-
rupt and be thrown into the street." He noted that several
elements threatened trouble for our economy in the long run
from increase of the national debt; from imbalance in foreign
trade, reducing our gold reserve; from continued high tax rates
that inhibit consumer spending and investments in productive
enterprises, and from rising prices and costs. He commented
that the course just completed was the best way he had ever
observed for people to learn basic economics— because the
trained discussion leaders did not tell the students what to
think, but posed problems and let the classes work out the
answers.

The Mott Foundation swept into 1 960 with a tabloid-catalog
of more than 900 classes for winter adult education . . . eve-
ning college, high school, pre-high school . . . special interests,

243

program services , . . music, arts, crafts, drama . . . Bishop sew-
ing and home arts . . . trades and mechanical skills . . . business
education . . . recreation. Enrollments for the 1958-1959 year
had totaled an amazing 77,644.

Again in 1960, Flint was host to the National Community
School Clinic — co-sponsored by the Mott Program of the Flint
Board of Education and the American Association for Health,
Physical Education, and Recreation. Some 200 educational
leaders from many states attended the three-day clinic on
March 15, 16, and 17. Dr. Ernest O. Melby and Dr. Howard
Y. McClusky brought their own appreciative insights to con-
sideration of community-school problems, as they had done in
previous workshops in Flint. Each visitor was given a kit of
background materials, several opportunities to share in com-
munity-school activities, and all the help the Flint staff could
provide in finding answers to questions and problems in or-
ganizing and developing community schools.

Typical of the Foundation's close working relationship with
other organizations and agencies in Flint was the city's 1960
Michigan Week observance. Harding Mott was regional chair-
man, Karl Schwartzwalder and Ralph Whittier, of AC Spark
Plug Division, were Genesee County co-chairmen of the cele-
bration, with Marvin Sitts, of the Foundation staff, as co-
ordinator. A full week of community-participation activity was
scheduled — chiefly centering in and near the College and
Cultural Center.

In 1961 and 1962, activities have been even more impres-
sive, with a choice of more than 1,100 adult education and
recreation classes offered in Flint's community schools, and
new pilot projects under way.

On June 2, 1962, Charles Stewart Mott attained his eighty-
seventh birthday. The partnership between Mott and Manley —
making up the essence of the Foundation program — is still very
much a going concern. In fact, it goes about as rapidly and
purposefully as any human enterprise observable.

The Foundation built, and opened in September, 1962, one
244

of the finest health centers anywhere, the Mott Children's
Health Center, next to Flint's Hurley Hospital. This is at once
a recognition of community need, and a tribute to Dr. Arthur
L. Tuuri, the center's director.

In 1926, Mott established the Foundation ". . . for the pur-
pose of supporting religious, educational, health, and recrea-
tional activities for public benefit."

Certainly the Foundation has lived up to that objective.

In the process of doing so, it has made Flint a better place to
live, and has established patterns which other communities are
increasingly finding to be worth following.

It has developed its own medium by which to function: the
community school, which solves those most basic of problems
— communication with people, opportunity for people, par-
ticipation by people — providing the universal solvent of com-
mon interest in the natural, democratic, publicly owned
community center, the school.

So broad is the total program that it cannot accurately be
defined more narrowly than to call it a Foundation for Living.

For each man — for Frank J. Manley as for Charles Stewart
Mott — it is also a personal foundation for living — the founda-
tion stone, the living rock, upon which the house of his life is
built.

Dr. Melby has well said of these men, "But actually beyond
their contributions, there has been developed in Flint an enter-
prise which has an on-going internal spirit. It isn't only what
these people do. It's the way they do it. It's the spirit in which
they do it."

The Foundation derives from the lives of these t 'O men who
share a common concern for all people, and the most warm-
hearted and practical determination to set workable patterns
by which people can help themselves with their own — and the
world's — most critical problems.

Charles Stewart Mott has been hurrying for many years now

to accomplish through the Foundation as much as possible

while he is alive to guide and observe.

245

In his diary for June 30, 1959, there is a fascinating entry,
involving a dear friend of more than forty years, Floyd Allen,
a regular recipient of the daily diary.

I had a funny dream the other night. It was that the vener-
able Floyd Allen and I had attended the funeral of a con-
temporary octogenarian, and had gone to the cemetery some
miles out of town. And when the burying was completed,
the venerable Floyd turned to me and spoke.

FLOYD: "C. S., how old was the deceased?'*

c. s.: "About eighty years old."
FLOYD: "C. S., how old are you?'*

c. s.: "I supposed you knew that I am younger than you,

and I am eighty-four."
FLOYD: "Well, C. S., it hardly seems worthwhile to go back

home, does it?"

But we did return home. Floyd has retired from active life
— leading "the life of Riley" and visiting foreign climes and,
at present, Alaska. While old man Mott is working days and
nights, and Sundays, not knowing enough to quit.

Charles Stewart Mott, at eighty-seven, is still under the
compulsion of a lifetime: to get things done. And those things
are predominantly new and improved ways for the Foundation
to do an even-better job of helping others help themselves.

The Mott family crest bears the motto: Spectemur Agenda,
meaning, "Let us be known by our deeds" Quoting it, Charles
Stewart Mott says, "Applying it to our work through the
Foundation, I would add a phrase: 'Let us be known by our
deeds — and not by our money.' "

246

INDEX

AC Spark Plug Division of GM,
33, 85, 151

Adams, Floyd, 102, 107-108, 126,
147

Addison, Chris, 116

Adult Education Association of
Michigan, 237

Adventures of a White Collar Man
(Sloan), 13, 91

AFL Union membership card, 204

Alcoholism, prevention and cure,
186

Aldrich, F. A., 6

Allen, Floyd, 246

American Association for Health,
Physical Education and Recrea-
tion, 244

American Association of School Ad-
ministrators, 235

American Automobile Association, 24

American Ball Bearing Co., 22

American Legion, 206, 213

American Red Cross, 99, 206

Anderson, H. W., 160

Anderson, Joseph A^ 181-182, 187,
237

Anspach, Dr. Charles L., 212

Applewood, 89-90, 103-104, 118

Arizona, trips to, 89, 102, 106

Armstrong, Robert, 6

Armstrong Spring Company, 6, 87

Art and music, 89

Asaro, Mrs. Louis, 240-241

Autocar Co., 20

Automobile Club of Utica, 24

Automobile Old Timers, 181

Automotive Giants of America
(Forbes and Foster), 92-97

Ailes made by Weston-Mott, 4, 22

Bacon, Harold D., 133-134, 168,

197

Bahlman, Dr. Cordon, 152
Baker, E. K., 42
BaUenger, William S., 5, 41, 44, 147,

182, 187, 242

Ballenger, William S., Jr., 218
BaUenger Field House, 208
Barrett, John M., 187
Barrett, Dr. Lewis, 242

Barton, Henry L., 84

Bassett, Harry H., 29, 41-42, 75,

85, 87, 92, 191
Begole, C. M., 41, 44
Bermuda, 111, 137
Big Brother movement, 158
Big Brother of the Year Award,

201-203, 209
Bills, Dr. Mark W., 187
Bishop, Arthur G., 5, 28, 74, 132
Black, Dr. Myrtle, 133-134, 203,

236-237
Board of Education, 119-122, 196-

197, 208, 218, 232-233, 237
Co-ordinating Committee, 196,

200

Bogue, Dr. Jesse P., 225
Bowen, Wilbur P., 113
Bower, F. A., 32, 146, 152, 155, 206,

209, 214

Boy's club work, 101, 157
Boy Scouts, 98, 199, 208
Bray, Mrs. Everett L., 232
Briscoe brothers, 26
Brown, Helen Hardy, 213
Brown-Lipe Co., 22, 35, 87
Browning machine guns, 151
Brownelf Roy E., 79, 98, 103, 105-

106, 126, 147, 156-157, 208
Brownson, Rear Admiral Willard H.,

18

Brussels World Fair, 235
Buffalo World's Fair, 14
Buick, David D., 27
Buick Motor Company, 1, 4-5, 27,

49, 70, 74

expansion, 29-39, 70, 74
presidents, 58, 85, 87, 109-111
Bums, Dr. Robert K., 217, 222-223,

238

Burr, Dr. C. B., 68-69
Burroughs, Mr. and Mrs. James, 103>

107
Butler, Aimee Mott, 98

CadiHac Company, 6, 22, 33, 3TT
Camp Copneconic, 102, 106-108,

238
Camp for boys, 102, 106-108, 147,

169-170, 174, 179, 200

247

Campbell, Dr., 132
Canda Quadricycle Co., 20
Carbonating machinery, 13
Carriage Builders National Associa-
tion, 70

Carton, John J., 5, 7, 28, 82
Centennial observance, Flint, 206-

207

Central Michigan College, 212
Chamber of Commerce, 160, 237-

238

Champion, Albert, 32-33, 81, 85
Champion Ignition Co., 32
Chapin, H. W., 35
Chevrolet, Louis, 40-41, 70, 181
Chevrolet Motor Company, 43, 70,

73, 84, 180-181
acquired by GM, 76
located in Flint, 55
organized by W. C. Durant, 40-

45

production, 101-102
Chicago, University of, 222

Motts gifts to, 48, 238
Christian Science Monitor, 136
Chrysler, Walter P., 74-75, 80-82,

87, 132, 181

Churchill, Winston, 80-81
Citizens Military Training Camp,

Camp Custer, 87

Civilian Defense Council, 152-153
Clancy, Peter L., 236, 242
Clara Elizabeth Fund, 147
Clark, Gen. Edwin Norman, 231-

232

Coldwater Road Cart Co., 26
College and cultural center project,
Flint, 201, 206-207, 214-215,
220, 225-226, 230, 235, 242-
244

Colleges in Flint, 176-179, 186-189
(See also Flint College of the
University of Michigan and
Flint Junior College)
Commins, Harry M., 146
Commonweal, 136
Community-school concept, 123,

125
Community-school program, 183-

186, 194-196
attendance, 217

interest of educators in, 214-223
teacher training, 212-213, 220
tributes to, 236-245
workshop in community educa-
tion, 215-217, 227-228, 230-
231, 239

Congressional investigations, 103-
104

248

Cook, Dr. Henry, 126

Copeman Electric Stove Company,

45

Copenhagen, trip to, 11-13
Covington, Harry, 103
Crapo, Henry H., 26
Crippled children, treatment of,

145, 226, 232, 239
Cummings, Everett A., 219, 238
Curtice, Harlow H., 103, 109-111,

146, 166, 200-201, 229-230
Cutting, Dr. Fulton, 239

Dalton, Hubert, 29
Davis, Edith, 111
Davis, Harvey N., 168
Davis, Herbert E., 89, 111
Davis, Dr. Jess, 239
Deeds, Col. E. A., 166-167
DeKleine, Dr. William, 78, 98
Depression of the 1930s, 101, 112
Detroit News, 65, 101
DeWaters, Enos A., 214-215, 221
DeWaters Art Center, 214
Dill, Ruth, 106, 180
Doolitde, William G., 2-7, 20, 23,

24, 28, 31

Dort, J. Dallas, 5, 26, 68, 230
Driver-education program, 182
Duco finish used on GM autos, 86,

192

Duffy Company, 20
Duncan, Capt. William Butler, 18
du Pont, Pierre S., 74, 80, 83, 180,

190-192

Durant, William Crapo, 26-27, 30-
33, 36, 38, 40-45, 58, 73, 78,
86-87, 138-139, 181, 230

bankruptcy, 131-132

banquet honoring (1919), 80-81

characteristics, 2, 5, 132

Chevrolet started by, 40-45

Flint enterprises, 55

founder of GM, 30-33, 73-75, 83,
181

made head of Buick, 27

proposal to Mott to locate in Flint,

1-7
Durant-Dort Carriage Co., 1-7, 27,

29, 75, 230

Durant Motors, 86, 131
Durant-Tuuri-Mott School, 232, 239
Durham, Cady B., 214
Duryea, J. Frank, 181

East Orange, N.J., 10

Eastern Michigan University, 138

Economics, educational program in,
222-223, 243

Educational Leadership in Michigan,
241

Ehrbright, Lester, 179

Eisenhower, Dwight D., 201-203,
209, 219, 226

El Paso, Texas, 150

Elliot, Charles M., 114

Europe, trip to, 10-13

Executives, Mott on training of, 95-
97

Experiment in Community Improve-
ment, An (Ford and Miner),
154^155

Fairview pilot project, 172-174
Farry, Frank G., 126, 147, 155
Federal Emergency Relief Adminis-
tration, 117

Ferris, Woodbridge N., 69
Fisher Body Corporation, 81, 86,

192

Flanagan, Father, 158
Fletcher, Senator, 103
Flint, Michigan, 26-39

"Auto-maker to the World," 27
centennial observance, 206-207
decision to move Weston-Mott

Company to, 1-7
fiftieth anniversary, 26
growth of, 55-56, 59
housing problems, 63-64, 81
lumber boom, 26
Mott elected mayor, 45-77
"Operation Tornado," 196-197
population, 62, 70, 91
sewer construction program, 52-

54,60

World War I, 78
Flint and Holly Railroad, 26
Flint automobiles, 86
Flint Civilian Defense Council, 152-

153

Flint College of the University of
Michigan, 182, 207, 213-214,
228

Mott's gifts to, 179, 206-207
Flint Community Service Center,

171

Flint Equal Suffrage Assoc., 54
Flint's Hurley Hospital, 98, 145,

148-149, 245
"Flint influence/' 227-228
Flint Institute of Arts, 168
Flint Institute of Technology, 92
Flint Journal 32-33, 48-49, 5(^51,
56-57, 63-64, 72, 77, 109-111,

128-130, 148, 161, 177, 194-
196, 201, 224
'The Flint Plan of Recreation,"

136, 139

Flint Junior College, 180, 188-189,
198, 207-208, 221-222, 225,
232, 238-239

Curtice Community College Build-
ing, 200-201
Mott Science Building, 188-189,

194

Flint Labor News, 76
"Flint Plan of Recreation, The," 136,

139

Flint Public Library, 230, 232
Flint School Review, 184-186
Flint School System, 114-119
community school concept, 118-

119

physical education program, 114
recreation program, 115-117
Flint's Social Science Research, 176,

178

Flint Vehicle Workers Mutual Bene-
fit Assoc., 92

Flint Wagon Works, 27, 41
Flint Wolverine Citizen, 6
Flint YMCA, 92, 97-98, 199, 237-

238
Flint Youth Bureau, 158, 169, 174,

186, 218

Folk Festival, 197
Folsom, Marion B., 226
Forbes, B. C., 92-97
Ford, Robert S., 154^155
Foster, O. D., 92
Franklin automobile, 37
Freeman, Leonard, 82
Freeman, Ralph M., 184
Freeman Community School, 183-

186, 194^195

French, Dr. David M., 211, 213,
221

General Motors, 30-33, 87
agreement with UAW-CIO, 177-

178

beginning of, 30-33
companies absorbed by, 87
Detroit, 81, 94r-95
employment of mothers, 159-160
Mott elected vice-president, 75,

102, 136
Mott serves as director, 36, 61-62,

74, 94-95, 170
Mott in charge of operations in

Detroit, 91, 94-95
Mott made chief of advisory staff,

63-84

249

General Motors, Mott's loyalty to,
192

Nash elected president, 56-08

1929 production, 101

Pierre du Pont as president, 190

reorganization in 1921, 83—84

Research Laboratory, 105

stock, 73-74, 83

Weston-Mott acquired by, 61

World War I, 76
GM Folks (Magazine), 150
General Motors Institute, 92
Genesee County Savings Bank, 5,

32 74

Genesee Fruit Company, 10, 19, 20
Getz, John, 106
Girl Scouts, 199
Goodwill Industries, 159
Gordon, George H., 76
Gordon, John F., 237
Gorman, Michael A., 109, 201, 204,

209, 229, 231
Grady, Joseph, 155
Greenway, Charles, 82
Grout Automobile Co., 20
Guardian Group, 100-101, 103
Gundry, George V., 153, 183, 187,
202, 212, 237

Hamady, Michael H., 144-145, 179,

218-219

Hamady House, 169, 174
Handicapped children, 145, 226,

232, 239

Hannah, Dr. John A., 205, 214
Hanna, Paul H., 220
Hannum, George, 192
Harding, Ethel Culbert, 20
Harding, Herbert Brunswick, 20
Hardy, A. B. C., 55, 84, 109, 181
Hasset, Harry H., 220
Hatcher, Dr. Harlan H., 187-188,

208, 209, 221-222
Hawaii, 105
Hawkins, Norval A., 84
Hays, Dr. George, 141
Hayward, George C., 153
Hazard, Frederick H., 28
Hazlitt, Henry, 190
Health programs, 120, 141-142,
145-146, 165, 174, 182, 213,

229, 245

Heddy, Walter, 204
Killer, Ola, 175, 197
Hoboten, N.J., 8, 10
Holl, Bill 181

Holmlund, Walter S., 174, 179
"Horseless Carriage Rim," 24

250

Hubbard, Lt. John, 18
Hudson automobile, 37
Humes, Mary Nell, 213
Hyatt Roller Bearings, 22

Income tax investigations, 104
Independent Citizens' Party, 45-46
Indianapolis speedway, 40
Industrial Fellowship League, 92
Industrial Mutual Assoc., 92, 159
Industrial relations, study of, 222-

223

Installment selling, 13-14
Insurance contract, 25
Interman, Herman K., 168
Interracial Community Center, 165,

174

Jones, Dr. Gflvert, 168

Jones, Dr. Lafon, 126

Jorgensen, Dr., 10-11

Journal of Educational Sociology,
242

Journal of Health — Physical Educa-
tion-Recreation, 236

Junior Chamber o£ Commerce, 146,
158

Juvenile delinquency, prevention of,
115-116, 127, 142-143, 159-
160

Keeler, Mrs. Fred L., 242
Kellar, George C., 76
Kelly, Osmund, 152, 158
Kettering, Charles F., 81, 84, 86, 89,

104-105, 138, 166-167, 181,

233-235

Kettering, Eugene W., 235
Kitching, General Wilfred, 237
Kiwanis Health Camp, 98-99, 147,

168
Knudsen, William S., 85, 101-102,

109-111, 136, 146, 147, 151,

155, 167, 180
Koopmen, Dr. G. Robert, 217

Lamb, Leland H., 126, 146-147

Lane, Garland B., 205

Lewis, Dr. James A., 217

Lewis, Dr. James P., 242

Libraries, 230-232

Lilies, O. J., 204

Lions Club, 99, 147

Literary Digest, 101

Little, W. H., 41, 68

Little Motor Co., 41, 43, 45, 55, 73

Longway, Robert, 206, 209, 214

Luce, Henry R., 151

Lundburg, L. A., 165

McAvinchey, Frank L., 126, 147
McCann, Dr. Kevin, 226-227
MacCartiiy, Dr. Shane, 216, 219
McClusky, Dr. Howard Y., 216, 242,

244

McCreery, Fenton, 6
MacCrone, Edward E., 98
MacDonald, John R., 64-67
McDougal, Taine, 103
McDougall, Josephine, 174
McGurty, Edward J., 48
McKeighan, William H., 64, 71-72
McKinTey, President, 18
McLaugnlin, R. S., 132
McWhirter, Mrs. Peggy, 239
Manley, Frank J., 108, 111-123,
126, 134, 137-138, 142, 146-
150, 153, 175, 183, 187, 202,
211-212, 226, 228, 238, 240-
241
review of Mott Foundation, 162-

164, 198-199
swimming pool named in honor

of, 199-200, 212
Mason, William, 103
Mason Motor Co., 41, 55
Medberry, Mrs. Nell, 103
Melby, Dr. Ernest O., 215-216, 218,

242, 244-245

Menton, John A. C., 45, 47, 64, 66
Merrill, Gyles E., 161, 198
Michigan, University of, 52, 153-

154, 159-161, 168
proposal to operate branch in

Flint. 182, 204-207
Mott's gift to, 206-207
Michigan Association for Health,
Physical Education, and Recrea-
tion, 149

Michigan Association of School Ad-
ministrators, 241
Michigan Education Assoc., 228
Michigan Education Journal, 165
Michigan Rural Teachers Assoc.,

227
Michigan Society of Professional

Engineers, 213
Michigan State College 205
Michigan State Normal College,

137-138, 212

Michigan White House Conference
on Education, 201-202, 204-
205
Mindardo, William F., 133-134,

186, 212

Miner, Frances H., 154r-155
Miner, Dr. Fred, 147
Misner, Dr. Paul J., 239-240
Mitchell cars, 37

Moore, Dr. Wilbur E., 212
Mott, Adam, 8
Mott, Aimee, 23, 28, 88-89
Mott, Charles Stewart, children, 1,

88-89, 106, 131, 140-141, 153
decision to move plant to Flint,

Mich., 1-7

loyalty to associates, 4, 192
business ability, 5
birth, 8

family background, 8-9
early life, 9-10
education, 9-10, 13-14
military service, 10,
marriages, 20, 105
mayor of Flint, 45-77
banquet in honor of, 68-69
in charge of production of vehicles

for the army, 79
sketch by Forbes, 93-97
philanthropies, 97-99
honors and awards, 137, 168-169,
198-214, 232-233, 237-238
tributes to, 146-148, 207-209
diaries, 155-156, 170
portraits, 171 175
diamond jubilee celebration, 175-

179
partnership between Manley and,

244-245
Mott, Charles Stewart Harding (see

Mott, Harding)
Mott, Charles Stewart Harding, HI,

106

Mott, Edith, 8

Mott, Elsa Beatrice, 28, 89, 98
Mott, Mrs. Ethel Harding, 20, 90
Mott, Frederick G., 19-20, 24
Mott, Harding, 28, 88-89, 98, 106,
165, 187, 197, 208, 226, 238,
242,244

Mott, Harding, Jr., 106, 197
Mott, John Coon, 8, 221-222
Mott, Isabella T., 8, 221-222
Mott, Maryanne Turnbull, 153, 156,

238
Mott, Ruth Rawlings, 105-106, 150,

157, 208
Mott, Stewart Rawlings, 140-141,

189-190, 238

Mott, Susan Elizabeth, 131, 196
Mott, C. S., Company, 13, 20
Mott Camp for Boys, 102, 106-
108, 147, 169-170, 174, 179,
200
Mott Children's Health Center, 148-

149. 168, 205-206
Mott cider and vinegar company,
8,13,20

251

Mott Community Center of Science
and Applied Arts, 194, 207, 239
Mott Foundation, 61-62, 97-99
accomplishments, 244-246
active interest of Mott in, 121
activities, 126-127, 140, 152,

169-170, 194, 243-244
adult-education program, 142,

179-181, 198, 200, 204, 217
annual report, 172-174
athletic program, 219
beginnings, 112—120
budget, 124, 140, 155, 164, 168,

183, 200, 213, 221
buildings purchases by, 157-158,

161
Children's Health Center, 148-

149, 168, 205-206
college courses, 153-154, 157,

170

community-school concept, 121,
130

cooperation between private and
public agencies, 164

cooperation with Board of Educa-
tion, 119-122, 130, 196-197,
208, 218, 232-233, 237

enrollments, 183, 244

experimental developments, 219

Fairview pilot project, 172-174

founding and purpose, 97-99

functions, 121-122

gift to Flint College of the Univ.
of Michigan, 179, 206-207

health service program, 141-142,
145-146, 165, 174, 182, 213,
229, 245

leadership training, 124

"model school" program, 158, 165

objectives, 149-150

pilot projects, 122, 165-166, 172-
174, 219

personnel, 124, 130, 133-135

post-war years, 162-174

program adapted to needs of peo-
ple, 130

program developments, 130, 140-
150

public-forum meetings, 136

public relations, 125-130, 136,

150, 224-225
purpose, 98

review compiled by Manley, 162-

164, 198-199

role of building director, 186
Stepping Stone Program for girls.

144-145, 157, 169, 174, 179,

218-219

252

teen-age safe-driving program,

182

Tot Lots program, 182, 213
visiting-teacher program, 142-143
167 *

visitors to, 174, 224-232
World War II, 151
Mott Foundation Building, 161
Mott Health Achievement Program,

Mott Memorial Building, 211, 221-
222

Mott Science and Arts Buildins.
194, 207, 239 *

Mountain, W. W., 68

Mulder, Cornelia, 159, 174

Municipal Housekeeping Commis-
sion, 60

Music center, 230

Myers, Dr. Spencer W., 189, 207,
22o

Nash, Charles W., 38-39, 48-49, 68,

elected president of GM, 56-58
Mott's notes on, 57-58
resignation from GM, 73-75
tribute to Mott, 63-66
National Board of Fire Underwrit-
ers, 53-54
National Conference on Education

for Leisure, 219
National Community School Clinic,

236, 244

National Science Fair, 228
National Youth Administration, 117,

125

Neighborhood War Clubs, 155, 157
New York State Naval Militia, 10,

New York Times, 136
Newsweek, 136, 190
Niles, Jack, 204
Nursery schools, 157

Oakland automobile, 33, 84
Office of Production Management.

151

Olds, R. E., 21, 33
Oldsmobile automobile, 6, 84
Olson, Dr. Frames A.. 141, 147
"Operation Tornado, 196-197
Optimist Club, 158

Packard, J. W., 21
Packard Motor Company, 21
Parent-teacher association, 197
Parker, James S., 126

Parkland community school, 186

Patterson, Alton R., 133-134, 183

Paterson, W. A., 26-27, 84-85, 215

Paterson Company, 30

Pecora, Ferdinand, 103-104

Peerless automobile, 37

People's Party, Flint, 59-60

Pero Lake, 102

Physical education program, 114

Pierce-Arrow, 37

Pierce community school, 189, 195

Pollock, Mrs. Milton, 144

Pontiac Division, 86, 102

Potter, E. D., 146

Potter community school, 189, 195

Pound, Dr. and Mrs. Arthur, 215

President's Council on Youth Fit-
ness, 216, 228, 231

Probation cases, 150

Public affairs, interest in, 93-94,
102

Pyper, William F., 203

Radio station WFBE, 197, 224
Ragsdale, Edward T., 238-239
Ranldn, Francis, 6
Rawlings, Ruth, 105
Rawlings, Sarah and Junius, 105,

131
Rawlings Health Center, El Paso,

150

Readers Digest, 210
Recreation Council, 116
Remington, Frederic, 89
Remington Arms Co., 29, 75
Remington Automobile and Motor

Co., 23-24
Reo automobile, 37
Retraining program for workers, 238
Rickover, Admiral Hyman, 238
Rideout, Gerald H., 202
Riggs, Professor, 52
Roosevelt, Mrs. Franklin D^ 127-

128, 198

Roosevelt, Theodore, 56
Roosevelt community school, 186
Roseville, Michigan, 240-241
Rotary Club, 117, 145, 147
Rubel, Ellen, 106
Russell, Ernestine, 219
Ruthven, Dr. Alexander G., 159-

161, 176, 178, 187, 221
Ryder, Joseph T., 158, 174, 202-

203, 218

Saginaw County distinguished serv-
ice award, 198
Sarvis, Arthur H., 146

Saturday Review, 230
Schwartzwalder, Karl, 244
Science teaching, 226-227, 235
Scott, Walter E., 150, 212, 21&-219,

221-222, 232
Selby, Guy W., 218
Shayon, Robert Lewis, 230
Sibilsky, Robert, 211
Sitts, Marvin, 244
Skaff, Woodrow W., 202
Sloan, Alfred P., Jr., 13-14, 68, 78-

79, 81, 85, 91-93, 109-111,

132, 147-148, 180, 191, 193,

229
Adventures of a White Cottar

Man, 13, 91
Small cars, 237
Sobey, Albert, 92
Socialist party in Flint, 47-51
Society or Automobile Engineers, 41
Somes, Russel V., 159
Spanish-American War, 14-18
Sportsmen's Clubs, 114
Star automobiles, 86
Stepping Stone Program, 144-145,

157, 169, 174, 179, 218-219
Stevens Institute of Technology, 10,

13-14, 137, 206, 239
Alumni Award Medallion to Mott,

168

Stewart, Col Charles, 8
Stewart, Isabella Turnbull, 8
Stewart, S. S., Jr., 187, 218
Stewart, William F., 6
Stewart Body Company, 6, 30
Stoddard-Dayton cars, 37
Strikes, sit-down, 132-133
Suffrage movement, 54-55
Summerfield, Arthur E., 203
Swenson, Mrs. Jessie H., 220

Tanner, Floyd, 136

Taucher, Mrs. E. A., 90

Taylor, Dr. Clair L, 205, 215, 217

Tennant, John S., 76

Thome, Willis, 103

Time magazine, 151, 188

Tornado, 196-197

Tot Lot program, 182, 213

Totten, Dr. W. Fred, 187, 212, 220

Trillingham, C. C., 236, 242

Tuuri, Dr. Arthur L., 196, 205-206,

245
Tuuri-Mott Building, 232, 239

Union Industrial Bank defalcations,

100-101, 103
United China Relief campaigns, 151

253

United Motors, 79
Union Industrial Building, 158
U.S. Sugar Co., 169
Utica, 19-20, 23, 27-28
awards given Mott, 210

Vandenberg, Arthur H., 148
Vercoe, PM, 134

War Chest Board, 152

Washburn, William E., 49

Washington, Al, 175

Weeks, John W., 87

Weir, Victor, 170-171

Welborn, Ralph, 204

Wellwood, John, 134

Western trips, 89, 102, 105-106

Weston, I. A. and Company, 19

Weston-Mott Company, 20, 26-39,

74, 95

capitalization, 7, 28, 31
decision to move to Flint, Mich.,

1-7, 28

employee relations, 42, 59
furnished axles to Buick, 4, 7
General Motors and, 33-36, 61

Wetherald, Charles, 169-170

Wheels, demountable rims, 42

wire, 19, 21
Whiting, J. H., 27
Whittier, Ralph, 244
Wilcox, Maj. George D., 79
Wildanger, Dr. A. J., 126
Wiles, Ivan, 208

Williams, Governor C. Mermen, 205
Willys organization, 81
Wilson, C. E., 237
Windiate, John G., 71
Wisner, Judge C. H., 66
Working mothers, employment of,

159-160
Works Progress Administration, 117,

125
Workshop in community education

215-217, 227-228, 230-231, '

239

World War I, 70, 76, 78
World War II, activities of the Mott

Foundation, 151-161
Woughter, Dr. Harold W., 202,

207-208
Wright, Orville, 167

Yankee, USS, 14-18

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For assistance in the preparation of this book, the authors wish to express
particular indebtedness to the editor, staff, and files of the Flint Journal;
Doubleday & Company, Inc., for quotations from Adventures of a White-
Collar Man, by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., in collaboration with Boyden Sparks;
the B. C. Forbes Publishing Company, for quotations from Automotive
Giants of America, by B. C. Forbes and O. D. Foster; Dr. Arthur Pound,
author of The Turning Wheel, for a wealth of background material and for
the most generous of professional and personal assistance; Mr. Frank J.
Manley, Miss Margaret Yambrick, Mr. William F. Minardo, and other
members of the staff of the Mott Program of the Flint Board of Education
for consistent helpfulness; Mr. Walter E. Scott for insight, information, and
advice; Mrs. Marion Gordon for creative suggestions as well as help in the
reading of proofs; Mr. C. S. Mott and his own personal staff for making
available a remarkable collection of letters, documents, and records.

254

(continued from front flap)
tic, helter-skelter way into the smoothly
integrated organization which is a model
of efficiency for all business today.

Mr. Mott's decision to move his small
company to Flint was to have a profound
influence on his own life, as well as on the
future of the city. Flint was encountering
the man it would elect as Mayor seven
years later, a man whose interest in the
educational process has attracted its atten-
tion and has elicited the admiration of its
entire educational community.

The Mott Foundation's beliefs are sim-
ple: schools are built for all the people;
school buildings standing idle much of the
time can be made into community centers
where social, recreational, health and edu-
cational facilities may be provided for all.
In the past season, more than 120,000
children participated in the Foundation's
program, and since 1944, the University
of Michigan Extension Course has com-
bined with the Foundation to expand its
adult education facilities. By 1960, more
than 900 such classes in adult education
were offered, and two years later the num-
ber offered through Flint's community
schools had reached 1,100. This is all the
work of C. S. Mott.

Charles Stewart Mott's story is one of
great vision, devotion, persistence, and the
courage to try — and if need be, to try
again. Today, at the age of eighty-seven,
commenting on his lifelong need to get
tilings done, Mr. Mott says of himself:
"Old man Mott is still working days and
nights, and Sundays, not knowing when to
quit." It is a need that has benefited untold
thousands of people in the community he
has loved and served so faithfully for more
than half a century.